A new data published today by the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveals amoxicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid as the most frequently used antibiotics worldwide.

The report, which is WHO’s first collated data on antibiotic consumption for human health care from 65 countries and areas, also shows wide differences in consumption of antibiotics in different countries.

According to the report, amoxicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid are recommended by WHO as first or second-line treatment for common infections and belong to the “Access” category of the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.

“In 49 countries, the Access category represents more than 50 per cent of antibiotic consumption.”

“Broad-spectrum antibiotics, such as third-generation cephalosporins, quinolones and carbapenems, are categorized as “Watch” antibiotics that should be used with caution because of their high potential to cause antimicrobial resistance and/or their side-effects.’’

The report shows a wide range in consumption of antibiotics in the Watch category, from less than 20 per cent of total antibiotic consumption in some countries to more than 50 per cent in others.

“Reserve” group antibiotics, which should only be used as last-resort antibiotics for treatment of specific infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria, account for less than two per cent of total antibiotic consumption in most high-income countries.”

“They were not reported by most low and middle-income countries; this may indicate that some countries may not have access to these drugs that are necessary for treatment of complicated multi-drug resistant infections,’’ the report says.

Dr Suzanne Hill, Director of the Department of Essential Medicines and Health Products at WHO, warns that , “Overuse and misuse of antibiotics are the leading causes of antimicrobial resistance.

However, “Without effective antibiotics and other anti-microbials, we will lose our ability to treat common infections like pneumonia.”

“Findings from this report confirm the need to take urgent action, such as enforcing prescription-only policies, to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics,” Hill said.

The report finds wide discrepancies in consumption rates between countries, ranging from approximately four defined daily doses (DDD)/1000 inhabitants per day to more than 64 DDD.

The large difference in antibiotic use worldwide indicates that some countries are probably overusing antibiotics while other countries may not have sufficient access to these life-saving medicines.

WHO’s European Region, which supplied the most complete data for the report, had a median consumption of 17.9 DDD/1000 inhabitants per day with an almost 4-fold difference between the lowest- and highest-consuming country in the region.

Reliable data on antibiotic consumption is essential to help countries to raise awareness of appropriate antimicrobial use and to inform policy and regulatory changes to optimize use.

Also, it is useful to identify areas for improvement and monitor the impact of interventions, and to improve the procurement and supply of medicines.

The that World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) is observed annually from Nov. 12 to Nov. 18.

It is a global campaign that aims to increase awareness of antibiotic resistance and to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policy makers to avoid the further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.

(NAN)