Climate change, population migration, and conflict have driven antimicrobial resistance (AMR) globally, and at a time when there remains a need for a reliable pipeline of affordable, accessible, and innovative antimicrobial agents that can be made available to all. In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in 2019, bacterial AMR directly caused 1.27 million deaths and contributed to 4.95 million deaths worldwide. In 2024, the WHO published its list of bacterial priority pathogens and their associated antimicrobial resistance, grouped into medium, high, and critical categories. In 2025, the WHO identified more than 90 new antibacterial agents in preclinical studies or clinical development but highlighted the lack of innovative agents to treat or prevent current priority pathogens. On March 11, 2026, the WHO published three new Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for antibacterial agents to address AMR in bacteria that cause sepsis, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and meningitis worldwide. This is a critical time for the world as climate change, population migration, and conflict have driven AMR. This editorial aims to present the 2026 WHO priority TPP recommendations in the context of a framework for research and development and investment to control what appears to be an inexorable rise in AMR in bacterial infections across all demographic regions, age groups, and healthcare settings.
Dinah V. Parums (2026) studied this question.