Technical document published on April 15, 2021 on the World Health Organization website
Overview
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2020 annual review of the clinical and preclinical antibacterial pipelines evaluates the potential of antibacterial candidates in different stages of development. The review addresses drug-resistant bacteria outlined in the WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Clostridioides difficile.
The clinical pipeline part of the report assesses antibacterial drug candidates in clinical development stages worldwide, including direct-acting small molecules, biological agents, and for the first time non-traditional antibacterial medicines in the pipeline. In addition, the 2020 clinical pipeline review includes an extended account on traditional candidates in Phase 3 of clinical development, highlighting their potential clinical utility.
The second part of the report focuses on candidates in preclinical development worldwide. It covers direct-acting small molecules, biological agents, vaccines, and non-traditional medicines in preclinical development.
This report is part of the WHO’s efforts to prioritize and coordinate global research and development (R&D) efforts to address the discovery void in antibacterial drug development.
All of the data contained in this report can be downloaded from the WHO Global Observatory on Health R&D.
Download this report on this link.
WHO R&D and pipeline infographics:
2020 Antibacterial agents in clinical and preclinical development
Five key points to consider for the development and optimal use of new antibiotics