ABSTRACT
The rapidly increasing rate of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent and universal public health concern. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi evolve to become resistant to the antimicrobial medicines that we have long depended upon to contain them. The more antimicrobials are used and abused, the faster microbes develop resistance to them, making antimicrobial medicines increasingly less effective over time. According to one estimate, 700,000 people already die each year from drug-resistant infections, a number that is projected to increase to 10 million annual deaths by 2050. 1 From a regulatory standpoint, AMR’s intersectoral nature poses a particular challenge, as an integrated management approach is needed across human medicine, agricultural production and the environment. This integrated approach, commonly referred to as “One Health”, 2 is essential to address the complexities at the heart of the problem.
