Antibiotic greed slammed
April 18, 2016
EMINENT South Australian
pharmacist Dr Chris Alderman says
pharmaceutical manufacturers
should focus more of their
attention on antibiotics rather than
continuing to research blockbuster
drugs for chronic diseases.
In an editorial in the new
edition of the Society of Hospital
Pharmacists of Australia’s Journal
of Pharmacy Practice and Research,
Alderman says he believes the
underlying cause of antimicrobial
resistance is greed.
“Antibiotics provide a relatively
poor return on investment
compared to other drugs,”
Alderman wrote.
But it’s not just big business
causing the problem, he added.
“People pressure their doctors to
prescribe antibiotics for conditions
that won’t respond, like the
common cold.
“They want to be back at work as
fast as possible - to make money”.
Alderman said pressures in the
hospital system also contribute to
the problem, by indiscriminately
prescribing broad spectrum
antibiotics to quickly ship patients
out of hospital.
Hospitals also “baulk at the cost
of hiring antimicrobial stewardship
pharmacists - all in the name of
saving money,” he said.
The new issue of the JPPR is
dedicated to antibiotic resistance,
with other editorials discussing
prescribing antimicrobials from the
aged care perspective, and how
pharmacists can turn the tide on
antimicrobial resistance.
There’s also a report on original
research which shows that
prescriber education does not
appear to be enough to improve
antibiotic prescribing.
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