The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first reports highlighting the urgent need for better medicines and testing tools to combat invasive fungal infections. Fungal infections are becoming a major public health concern, but research and development (R&D) in this area remains insufficient. Some common infections, like Candida (which causes thrush), are becoming more resistant to treatment. These infections are especially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, individuals with HIV, and organ transplant recipients. WHO warns that low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face severe challenges due to a lack of effective treatments and proper diagnostic tools.
WHO’s report on antifungal medicines reveals a slow and inadequate drug development process. In the past decade, only four new antifungal drugs have been approved. Currently, only nine drugs are in development, and just three have reached the final testing phase.
Existing treatments often have severe side effects, require long hospital stays, and interact poorly with other medications.
Additionally, children are often overlooked in clinical trials, leaving them with limited treatment options. WHO calls for greater investment in developing safer, more effective medicines that require less monitoring and hospitalization.
Testing for fungal infections is also a major problem, especially in LMICs. While some diagnostic tools exist, they are expensive, require advanced laboratories, and need trained personnel, making them inaccessible to most people. Faster, cheaper, and easier-to-use tests are urgently needed.
Many healthcare workers also lack training in diagnosing and treating fungal infections, which makes the situation worse.
To address these challenges, WHO is working on a plan to improve global responses to fungal infections. It urges governments, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies to, invest in new antifungal medicines and better testing tools, provide financial incentives for drug development, strengthen disease monitoring and global surveillance, and improve healthcare worker training.
Fungal infections can be deadly, with some having mortality rates as high as 88%. As medical advances help more people live with weakened immune systems, these infections are expected to rise. WHO’s reports serve as a wake-up call for the global health community to act now—before the crisis worsens.
