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JAC Advance Access originally published online on September 2, 2009
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2009 64(5):885-888; doi:10.1093/jac/dkp305
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Leading articles

Antibiotic stewardship—more education and regulation not more availability?

Matthew S. Dryden1,*, Jonathan Cooke2 and Peter Davey3

1 Department of Microbiology and Communicable Disease, Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester SO22 5DG, UK 2 Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester M23 9LT, UK 3 Division of Clinical and Population Sciences and Education, Mackenzie Building, Kirsty Semple Way, Dundee DD2 4BF, UK

* Corresponding author. Tel: +44-1962-824451; E-mail: matthew.dryden{at}wehct.nhs.uk

Antibiotics are overused across the world by prescription, self-medication or over the counter (OTC) availability. In the UK, the agenda to increase patient choice has stimulated a move towards greater availability of OTC antibiotics. This trend needs to be urgently reviewed and controlled. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is currently reviewing applications for reclassification of trimethoprim and nitrofurantoin from prescription-only medicines to pharmacy availability or OTC. It is important that anti-infectives do not become more freely available. With the quantity of antibiotic use linked to antibiotic resistance, Society should seek to preserve the use of this irreplaceable resource by education and regulation.

Keywords: over the counter , prescribing , trimethoprim , nitrofurantoin , antibiotic resistance


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[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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