We need to do more to keep antibiotics working

Abstract

Action to prevent antimicrobial resistance from escalating requires dedicated funding, accessible diagnostics, and public engagement, writes Ara Darzi Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the starkest public health challenges of our time. As bacteria evolve and develop resistance to treatment, antibiotics and other drugs become ineffective. This poses a threat that could reverse a century of medical progress. Without urgent action to keep antibiotics working, AMR could claim 39 million lives over the next 25 years.1 This threat looms over our clinical practice. Antibiotics are crucial to countless procedures, from cancer therapies to routine surgeries. But we are not adequately prepared to tackle this crisis, and the global response is not going far or fast enough. In September 2024, the United Nations issued a political declaration on AMR, securing a commitment from countries worldwide to confront the problem.2 This was an important step in the right direction. But to take meaningful strides, the international community must act urgently on three fronts: funding, diagnostics and public engagement. This month, global health leaders will …