An overview of global public and philanthropic investments into antibacterial therapeutics (2017–23)

The article analyses global public and philanthropic funding trends for antibacterial therapeutic research and development (R&D) between 2017 and 2023, revealing that current investment levels remain inadequate relative to the urgent need for new antibiotics and related therapies to address rising antimicrobial resistance; it highlights persistent gaps in funding, especially for early-stage discovery and clinical development of truly novel drug classes, and calls for sustained, coordinated investment strategies from governments, non-profits and international stakeholders to revitalise the antibiotic pipeline and ensure effective treatments are available against resistant bacterial infections.