The World Health Organization released its first report on the detection and treatment of fungal infections on the 1st, emphasizing the severe shortage of drugs and diagnostic tools for combating invasive fungal infections and the urgent need for innovative research and development to fill the gap. The bulletin released by the World Health Organization states that fungal infections are becoming an increasingly serious public health problem, with common fungal infections showing increasing resistance to treatment drugs. These infections have a particularly severe impact on populations with severe underlying diseases and compromised immune systems. The WHO Key Fungal Pathogens List (FPPL) is divided into three categories: "extremely important," "highly important," and "moderately important." Fungal infections classified as "extremely important" can have a mortality rate of up to 88%. The World Health Organization says that addressing fungal infections is challenging due to a lack of diagnostic tools, limited supply of antifungal drugs, and slow and complex development processes for new therapies. This report points out that in the past 10 years, only 4 new antifungal drugs have been approved for market by regulatory agencies in the United States, European Union, or China. Currently, there are 9 antifungal drugs in clinical development to combat the most health threatening fungi. However, only three candidate drugs are in the final stage of clinical development, which means that there will be very few such drugs approved in the next 10 years. In addition, although there are 22 drugs in the preclinical development stage, considering the high failure rate, risks, and challenges in the early stages of drug development, this number is far from meeting the potential clinical needs. The report emphasizes that there are many problems with current antifungal treatment plans, including severe side effects, frequent drug interactions, limited drug formulations, and the need for long-term hospitalization. At the same time, there is a shortage of antifungal drugs for severe infections caused by key fungal pathogens, and treatment plans suitable for children are particularly lacking. (New Society)