The Brockham Group replies—Our major message is that in order to manage the problem and produce effective policies, it is paramount to quantify antibiotic resistance. Statements such as "we cannot afford to wait for the results of research but must act now to restrict antibiotic use" and "if we wait it will surely be too late" are not helpful without quantifying the risk benefit. These data are also needed in order to decide on the scale of the change needed to maintain the public health. Doing something simply for the sake of appearing to take action may not be wise.

See “Act now on antibiotic resistance” by Gould et al.

Note: On behalf of the Brockham Group