THERE are many who criticise Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), noting some medications are cheaper elsewhere.
However, there's a lot to be grateful for, with a recent study in the US revealing Americans are turning to fish antibiotics to avoid the prohibitive costs to seeking medical care.
The Guardian reported that researchers analysed reviews for medications usually marketed for fish sold online, and found a small, but significant percentage of reviews suggested they had been consumed by people.
University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy Director of Residency and lead author of the study, Brandon Bookstaver, described the use of medications intended for animals by humans as "alarming".
"Self-medication and the availability of antibiotics without healthcare oversight might contribute to increasing antimicrobial resistance and delayed appropriate treatment," he said.
"We were particularly concerned that the high volume of positive feedback on the comments about human use might encourage others to attempt to use these drugs."
While a proportion of comments suggesting human use of fish antibiotics is modest, they attracted nine times more attention through 'likes' and 'dislikes'.
It all seems a bit fishy.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 13 Dec 19
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