Overuse of antibiotics is one of the world’s most serious public health problems. Researchers investigating global trends in antibiotic use reported a 65% increase from 2000 to 2015 that was largely driven by rising consumption in low- and middle-income countries.
Eili Y. Klein, PhD, fellow at the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins University, told Infectious Disease News and colleagues used a global database of pharmaceutical sales to estimate antibiotic consumption rates in 76 countries. Total antibiotic use, they found, increased from 21.1 billion defined daily doses (DDDs) in 2000 to 34.8 billion DDDs in 2015. Meanwhile, the overall rate of consumption grew 39% from 11.3 DDDs to 15.7 DDDs per 1,000 inhabitants per day.
In LMICs, antibiotic consumption increased 114% overall and 77% per 1,000 inhabitants per day, correlating with a rise in gross domestic product per capita (P = .004). In contrast, there was a 4% decline in the rate of consumption in high-income countries, where social norms regarding prescribing practices are likely driving overuse, according to the researchers.
Additional data showed a 56% increase in the rate of broad-spectrum penicillins consumed in LMICs and a 15% increase in high-income countries between 2000 and 2015. In addition, consumption rates of cephalosporins, quinolones and macrolides substantially increased in LMICs by 399%, 125% and 119%, respectively.
A rapid surge in the consumption of newer and last-resort antibiotics, including glycylcyclines, oxazolidinones, carbapenems and polymyxins, was observed in all income groups. The researchers warned that increasing use of newer drugs will shorten their duration of effectiveness, highlighting the need for “radical rethinking of policies to reduce consumption.” If current trends are left unchecked, global antibiotic consumption is projected to increase 202% to 128 billion DDDs by 2030.
Adapted from:
