Corruption, poverty and inflation as enablers of AMR in low- and middle-income countries: finding the link and addressing the gaps

The article explains how corruption, poverty, and inflation create powerful structural conditions that drive antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in low-resource settings. Corruption undermines regulation, enabling the sale of substandard or falsified antibiotics, informal prescribing, and weak enforcement of stewardship policies. Poverty pushes people toward self-medication, incomplete treatment courses, and cheap but poor-quality drugs, while limiting access to qualified healthcare and diagnostics. Inflation further erodes purchasing power, forcing households and health systems to cut corners, reducing the ability to procure quality medicines and maintain reliable supply chains. Together, these factors reinforce one another and create a cycle in which inappropriate antibiotic use becomes widespread and health systems are unable to control resistance. The authors argue that addressing AMR in such settings requires not only technical health interventions but also broader socio-economic reforms that strengthen governance, reduce inequality, and stabilise economies.