Implications of non-prescription antibiotic sales in China

The Article by Jie Chang and colleagues published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases1 is very timely. It reflects a crucial need for concerted efforts to reduce irrational use of antibiotics to lower rising antimicrobial resistance.2, 3, 4 Overuse has resulted in antibiotics becoming the most commonly used drugs globally.3, 5 Antimicrobial resistance increases morbidity, mortality, and costs because health systems run out of options to treat common infectious diseases.1, 2, 6, 7 Low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), including China, are a particular concern given their increasing overuse of antibiotics8 coupled with a greater effect of antimicrobial resistance than in high-income countries, because of living conditions, including poor sanitation, malnutrition, and high population density.