Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health concern (Prestinaci, Pezzotti, & Pantosti, 2015). The main drivers of AMR include excess microbial exposure to antibiotic agents, mainly due to their overuse in agriculture and health facilities (Capozzi et al., 2013; Levy, 1998). On the other hand, progress in developing new antibiotics has remained stagnant due to scientific challenges, clinical hurdles, and low economic returns (Payne, Miller, Findlay, Anderson, & Marks, 2015). In addition to well-established factors that influence AMR, the overuse and misuse of existing antimicrobial agents have contributed to accelerating the spread of AMR during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic (Fig. 1).
