Antibiotic resistance in Switzerland reflects both its geographic position and socio-cultural diversity. At the European level, Switzerland occupies an intermediate position, with resistance rates lower than in neighbouring countries such as Germany, France, and Italy, but higher than those observed in Nordic nations. This moderate level is shaped by a combination of prescribing habits, healthcare practices, and public attitudes toward antibiotics. Within the country, regional differences in language and culture influence patterns of antibiotic use and resistance. Surveillance data show that French- and Italian-speaking cantons, including Geneva, Ticino, and Vaud, typically report higher antibiotic consumption compared to German-speaking regions such as Zurich and Bern.

These differences arise from variations in outpatient prescribing practices, healthcare culture, and patient expectations.
Higher antibiotic use in these areas increases opportunities for bacteria to develop resistance, which contributes to relatively elevated resistance rates. While national surveillance captures overall trends, more localised monitoring would help design region-specific strategies for promoting responsible antibiotic use and reducing resistance (Anresis, 2024).

Antimicrobial resistance poses a serious and growing threat with wide-ranging consequences for individuals, healthcare systems, and society. As bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, infections require longer treatment, more complex care, and often prolonged hospital stays. This increases the emotional and physical burden on patients and their families while driving up healthcare costs through the need for alternative medicines and intensive medical support (Murray et al., 2022). The effects extend beyond healthcare, influencing daily life, economic productivity, and long-term health outcomes. In severe cases, resistant infections can lead to permanent disability or death. Modelling scenarios that assume current trends continue without major changes in prevention and treatment suggest that AMR could cause around 10 million deaths each year by 2050 (O'Neill, 2016).

In this projection, resistant infections would surpass cancer as the leading cause of death worldwide. These figures are not certainties but illustrate the potential magnitude of the problem and the consequences of inaction. All credible assessments point to the need for coordinated global action. Strengthening surveillance, improving infection prevention, promoting responsible antibiotic use, and investing in new treatments remain essential to prevent AMR from escalating into a large-scale public health crisis.
Although estimates differ due to the complex nature of the issue, the overall trend highlights the urgent need for a coordinated and global response to prevent antimicrobial resistance from developing into a major public health crisis (WHO, 2019).

The slowdown in antibiotic discovery began decades ago and has contributed to a growing shortage of effective treatments. Most antibiotics currently in use are based on discoveries made more than 30 years ago (WHO, 2021). Since 2017, only 12 new antibiotics have been approved, and the majority of these belong to existing classes—groups of antibiotics that share similar chemical structures and mechanisms of action. When bacteria become resistant to one antibiotic in a class, they often gain resistance to others in the same group, reducing treatment options and highlighting the urgent need for novel drug classes (CDC, 2024). The development of new antibiotics faces significant challenges. Scientific obstacles include the difficulty of finding compounds effective against resistant bacteria, while economic barriers stem from limited financial incentives for pharmaceutical companies.

Drug development is often directed toward medicines with quicker commercial returns, leaving antibiotic research underfunded (O'Neill, 2016). Some studies are exploring non-antibiotic alternatives, such as preventive treatments for urinary tract infections, but these approaches are not yet sufficiently effective for widespread medical use (Advani et al., 2025; Çelik et al., 2025 ). Recent advances in drug discovery methods offer some promise. In 2023, researchers used artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computational screening to identify zosurabalpin, a new antibiotic with activity against Gram-negative bacteria that are common in hospital-acquired infections. This breakthrough demonstrates how innovative research approaches can open new possibilities for antibiotic development (David et al., 2021).