The World Health Organization has published its first reports addressing the critical lack of medicines and diagnostic tools for invasive fungal diseases, showing the urgent need for innovative research and development to close these gaps.
Fungal diseases are increasing public health concern, with common infections such as candida, which causes oral and vaginal thrush, growing increasingly resistant to treatment. These infections disproportionately impact severely ill patients and those with weakened immune systems, including individuals undergoing cancer chemotherapy, living with HIV, and who have had organ transplants.
"Invasive fungal infections threaten the lives of the most vulnerable but countries lack the treatments needed to save lives," said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Antimicrobial Resistance ad interim.
The fungi in the top 'critical priority' category of the WHO's fungal priority pathogens list are deadly, with mortality rates reaching 88 percent.
WHO's report on antifungal drugs highlights that in the past decade, only four new antifungal drugs have been approved by regulatory authorities in the United States, the European Union or China. Currently, nine antifungal medicines are in clinical development to use against the most health-threatening fungi.
However, only three candidates are in phase 3, the final stage of clinical development, meaning few approvals are expected within the next decade, WHO says.
The report highlights the urgent need for safer antifungal medicines, possibly reducing requirements for continuous drug monitoring.
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December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.