The rate of antibiotic prescribing in British Columbia fell by 15 per cent between 2005 and 2014, according to recent analysis conducted by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).
The centre analyzed BCPharmaNet claims under its “Do Bugs Need Drugs” (DBND) program. Between 2005 and 2014, antibiotic prescribing fell from 1.79 to 1.53 daily prescriptions per 1,000 B.C. residents. Part of the explanation comes from steep declines in prescribing antibiotics for children and for those with respiratory infections, the original targets of the DBND program.
“We’re seeing some good progress when it comes to reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescription in the community, which not only saves the health-care system money, but more importantly, helps mitigate the real threat posed by antibiotic resistant organisms,” says Dr. Mark Tyndall, executive medical director with the BCCDC. “But we shouldn’t let that lull us into a false sense of security. There is still much work to be done, and this remains a serious issue.”
The reduction in antibiotic prescribing has resulted in reduced costs. Over the 10-year period surveyed, the annual cost of community antibiotic prescribing has fallen by 15.5 per cent, from $342 million in 2005 to $289 million in 2014. This includes a 31 per cent decrease in annual costs to BC PharmaCare for antibiotic claims, saving the Ministry of Health $25 million in 2014 compared with 2005.
“Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to global human health,” says Dr. David Patrick of the BCCDC. “Programs like Do Bugs Need Drugs are so important to build awareness of the issue and to educate health-care professionals and the public. We need to preserve the value of antibiotics for future generations.”
The DBND program has identified two key priorities for the months and years ahead. The first is to continue reducing prescriptions in long-term care facilities, where a past tendency to over-treat asymptomatic bacteriuria (bacteria in the urine) is slowly being reversed. The second is to continue working with dentists to reduce unnecessary surgical prescriptions, as well as prescriptions for non-urgent symptoms and infections.
No major types of antibiotics have been developed in the last 30 years, despite the rise of “superbugs” resistant to available antibiotics. It is estimated that one in four urinary tract infections are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and cannot be treated by antibiotics which were effective just 10 years ago.
A recent report on antimicrobial resistance in bacteria by the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said some 25,000 people die from superbugs in the European Union every year. The report calls the threat of these superbugs “alarming”, and says that the drug resistance is driven by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, with bacteria changing and evolving to beat commonly prescribed medications.
Twice as many patients die from infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria than those caused by non-resistant bacteria, and the World Health Organization says that people across the world may soon die from common infections and minor injuries, unless urgent action is taken to prevent a post-antibiotic era.