Seven-day limit for antibiotics

WITH 12,500 people dying every year from drug resistant bacteria the health minister has moved to protect the effectiveness of antibiotics by limiting initial prescriptions to seven days.

The move by Marisol Touraine comes after a specially commissioned report that said bacteria were becoming drug resistant because they were over-prescribed.

France uses 30% more antibiotics than the European average and the study showed that nine out of 10 medical consultations result in drugs of some kind being handed out – with GPs handing out 90%.

But the report showed that 165,000 people caught antibiotic-resistant infections each year, leading to 12,500 deaths – and the human cost also has a financial cost.

Managing to bring drug use down to the European average could lead to savings of €71million a year, and €440m if France equalled the top countries such as Sweden, the Netherlands or Norway.

Ms Touraine wants to cut antibiotic use by 25% and bring deaths below 10,000 a year by 2017.

Patients who have received an initial seven-day supply of antibiotic will only receive more if they return to their GP – and must present both original and new prescription before being given any extra at the pharmacy.

Seven out of 10 prescriptions for antibiotics are for respiratory infections but women are the biggest users of antibiotics, making up 59% with urinary infections and cystitis being contributory factors, plus their longer life expectancy.

However, the report did not recommend going as far as its equivalent in the UK which suggested penalising doctors who prescribed too many antibiotics.