India’s dependence on antibiotics as a convenient cure-all for routine illnesses has reached an inflection point. A global study published in The Lancet Public Health has highlighted a worrying imbalance in the country’s antibiotic use: An over-reliance on stronger medicines even as safer first-line medicines remain underused. The World Health Organisation classifies antibiotics into three categories — “access” drugs, which are recommended as first-line treatments for common infections; “watch” drugs, which are broader-spectrum medicines that should be reserved for specific situations; and “reserve” drugs,........

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