Potential ways to improve the supply and use of quality-assured antibiotics across sectors in developing countries to reduce antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is growing across countries, especially among low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), increasing morbidity, mortality and costs.[1-5] Consequently, a range of measures and initiatives are required to address this urgent public health problem to prevent AMR becoming the next pandemic, especially amongst critical African and Asian countries.[5-9] We have already published Editorials in Advances in Human Biology regarding the potential measures that Governments and Health Authorities could instigate to improve the quality and efficiency of their medicine use, including antibiotics.[10] In addition, potential programmes to reduce the high levels of inappropriate dispensing of antibiotics amongst community pharmacies, especially in LMICs, to reduce AMR.[11] This includes the potential ways to effectively address the challenges with patients in LMICs often requesting antibiotics from prescribers or community pharmacy personnel for typically self-limiting conditions, exacerbated by their limited knowledge of antibiotics and AMR.