A total of 14 ministerial-level departments including the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) on Thursday issued an action plan to curb antibiotic resistance of bacteria.
China should develop one or two new antimicrobials by 2020, and five to ten new diagnostic instruments and reagents, the plan said.
All retail pharmacies and dispensaries across the country can sell customers antibacterial drugs only when they provide a doctor's prescription, according to the plan.
A national monitoring network should be established to cover all medical institutions to prevent abuse of antimicrobials, the plan said.
China is also considering a negative list to stipulate under which circumstances antimicrobials are forbidden.
