Antibiotics have saved millions of lives and become one of the main drivers of modern medicine, but it's clear today that their success was temporary. The problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become global and poses a threat to everyone. Everyone has likely encountered infections for which it was difficult to find an effective antibiotic.

"Without concerted and immediate global action, the world will be heading toward a 'post-antibiotic' era, where even the most common infections can become deadly again," says WHO Director-General Margaret Chan. ¹ Up to 700,000 people die annually worldwide from infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. If this trend continues, this figure could reach 10 million by 2050. ²

Doctors are increasingly reporting bacterial strains resistant to all currently known antibiotics. Strains resistant to multiple major antimicrobials (called "superbugs") are found in virtually every modern hospital. Some of the most common childhood illnesses, such as malaria, pneumonia, other respiratory infections, and dysentery, are no longer treatable with many traditional antibiotics. No new class of antibiotics has been discovered since 1987, and too few antibacterial agents are currently being developed to address the problem of multidrug resistance.

1. WHO: Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance .

2. Tackling drug-resistant infections globally: final report and recommendations (The review on antimicrobial resistance), chaired by Jim O'Neill, May 2016 .