7% of Antibiotics in the EU Are Taken Without a Prescription

A study carried out by Nivel (Netherlands institute for health services research) as part of the ARNA project, yielded that 7% of the antibiotics taken in the EU are without prescription. The study concerns antimicrobial resistance and the causes of non-prudent use of antibiotics. Prof. Herman Goossens – COMBACTE LAB-Net Work Package Lead – co-authored the study.

The study is part of the EU-funded project ARNA (‘Antimicrobial resistance and the causes of non-prudent use of antibiotics’), whose goal is the more responsible use of antibiotics in humans in Europe in response to the development of antimicrobial resistance.

Even though antimicrobial resistance is a phenomenon that occurs naturally, it is accelerated by the imprudent use of antibiotics – whether the dosages are too high or too low. This is also triggered by lack of medical guidance.

The top countries where antibiotics are taken without prescription were found to be Romania (20%), and Greece (16%), followed by Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Italy and Spain. The main causes for non-prescription antibiotics are over-the-counter selling in pharmacies, and using leftover antibiotics. Factors that influence the non-prudent use of antibiotics are patients’ lack of knowledge,  pharmacists’ lack of knowledge and their willingness to sell antibiotics without prescription, and health-system level. In some EU Member States it was also found that prescription is needed for most antibiotics, but not all. Despite this however, the use of antibiotics that do need a prescription and are taken without one prevails.

The recommendations listed by the study are knowledge and awareness campaigns aimed at both (young) patients and professionals, as well as better law enforcement in EU countries where antibiotics can be obtained over the counter. The criteria for selecting the countries that took part in this study was based on the 2013 Eurobarometer survey which includes all EU Member States and at the same time measures antibiotic use in the exact same way.

The original source of the article can be found here.

The full study can be read here.