As the world confronts the COVID-19 public health crisis, now more than ever is the time to consider preparedness for a growing public health threat: antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is a natural process that occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change in ways that make the medicines used to treat the infections they cause ineffective. Therefore, the more we use such medicines, the more resistance we may create. This means a robust and sustained pipeline of new and novel antimicrobial medicines is critical to ensure that new innovations and interventions can keep pace with these evolving pathogens.