Global strategic direction

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to antimicrobial agents. It threatens the core of modern medicine and the sustainability of an effective, global public health response to the enduring threat from infectious diseases. Effective antimicrobials are prerequisites for both preventive and curative measures, protecting patients from potentially fatal diseases and ensuring that complex procedures, such as surgery and chemotherapy, can be provided.

The global burden of antimicrobial resistance requires new antibacterial treatments, especially for the most challenging resistant bacteria. WHO aims to set and coordinate the priority research and development (R&D) agenda for new antimicrobials, diagnostics and alternative approaches.

WHO also works with various partners to ensure that new products that come to market are used responsibly and accessible by all. Worryingly, a 2021 WHO analysis shows that the current clinical and preclinical pipeline is still insufficient to mitigate the threat of antimicrobial resistance, in particular the threat from critical gram-negative bacteria.