Sustainable Access

A challenge of antibiotic resistance is in ensuring access to these medicines when needed, but also the prevention of excessive use that may accelerate resistance, as outlined within the Lancet Infectious Diseases Commission on Antibiotic Resistance. “The access and excess dilemma: Part 5 of Antibiotic resistance—the need for global solutions” discusses strategic points of intervention from bench to bedside to address antibiotic resistance. These interventions must be focused on achieving access without excess, and include new treatment innovation, dissemination of effective antibiotic treatments, scale-up and implementation within the healthcare system through stewardship, and continued monitoring and assessment of these interventions with policy feedback and surveillance.