In celebration of Global Antibiotic Awareness Day, 18 November 2015, The Lancet, in collaboration with Imperial College London and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, is publishing a new series titled: “Antimicrobials: sustainable access and effectiveness”. The five papers in the series cover access to effective antimicrobials as a global challenge, understanding the mechanisms and the drivers of antimicrobial resistance, maximising access to achieve appropriate human antimicrobial use in low- and middle-income countries,  exploring the evidence base for national and regional policy interventions to combat resistance, and international cooperation to improve access to and sustain effectiveness of antimicrobials. The launch of the series will...