WHO lists research priorities on antimicrobial resistance 29 Jun 2023

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report outlining 40 research topics that should be prioritised by scientists around the world to help fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The goal is that results will be forthcoming by 2030, which will feed into policies and interventions to combat AMR.

The WHO’s ‘Global Research Agenda for AMR in human health’ was developed based on a review of over 3,000 relevant documents published over the past decade. It identified 2,000 unanswered questions or knowledge gaps, which were further consolidated by AMR experts to provide focus topics for researchers.

WHO has named AMR as one of the top ten threats to public health around the world and in May 2023 released the report ‘Incentivising the development of new antibacterial treatments 2023’, investigating how health systems can stimulate innovation in antibiotics.