The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness Authority (HERA) have signed a €3.5 million agreement to expand their partnership to combat antimicrobial resistance under the EU4Health programme.
The new funding agreement will enable WHO to scale up work on research and development for new antibiotics, antifungals, and non-traditional therapies such as bacteriophages which use viruses to infect and kill bacteria. WHO will also enhance the SECURE initiative, co-led with the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP), to improve sustainable access to new and existing antibiotics worldwide.
“Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent threats to global health and security,” said Dr Yvan Hutin, Director of Antimicrobial Resistance at WHO. “WHO welcomes this renewed partnership with the European Commission to accelerate efforts to fight AMR by ensuring equitable access to life-saving antimicrobials and diagnostics for people everywhere.”
Recognizing AMR as a major and growing health threat, WHO and HERA first launched the partnership in 2022 to support the development of new medical countermeasures for tackling AMR and ensure their equitable access. Since then, the partnership has focused on advancing new antibiotics capable of combating the most dangerous drug-resistant pathogens.
Through funding by HERA, WHO has published the updated Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (BPPL) and advanced implementation of the first Fungal Priority Pathogens List (FPPL) through global expert consultations and regional workshops. The Organization has also published multiple R&D pipeline assessments in the areas of antibacterials, antifungals and in vitro diagnostics for bacterial and fungal pathogens, respectively, and has advanced work on optimizing antibiotics for paediatric use.
Additionally, WHO has also advanced work on SECURE through a global technical consultation and the development of WHO Country Operational Guidance for introducing antibiotics as well as guidance on policy and regulatory interventions to address antibiotic shortages. These efforts have strengthened global awareness of AMR, informed R&D priorities, and laid the foundation for improved access to life-saving treatments in low- and middle-income countries.