Too few antibiotics in development, warns WHO

The World Health Organization has issued an urgent call for greater investment in antibiotics research.

Not enough antibiotics are in development to combat the threat of antimicrobial resistance, the WHO said in a report published on 20 September.

An analysis of antibacterial drugs undergoing clinical development found that most are modifications of existing classes of antibiotics. As such, they are only short-term solutions, the WHO said. The report also identified only a few existing drugs that could treat the antibiotic-resistant infections that the organisation considers to be the greatest threats to health, such as tuberculosis.