Correlation of Recommendations of Treatment Guidelines and Frequently Prescribed Antibiotics: Evaluation of Their Pharmaceutical Pack Size

There are various factors that contribute to development of antimicrobial resistance. Overuse, inappropriate prescribing and extensive agricultural use of antibiotics are some of the factors which have been identified. Antibiotics are almost always universally packaged by manufacturers in packs that are heavily driven by cost of economies and convenience rather than by any scientific basis or duration of therapy. So, in the present study, the correlation of the treatment guidelines with the choice of antibiotics and whether packing size contributes to left-over dosing units when used according to guideline recommendations were assessed. The Standard Treatment Guidelines by DSPRUD 2015, Clinical Guidelines by MSF (Oct, 2016 Updated) and the Infectious Disease Society of America Guidelines 2007-2014 recommendations for various infections were compared and evaluated against the commonly prescribed antibiotics identified by prescription research. Number of branded generic products and their most commonly available pack size was also defined. For many antibiotics, multiple packs are required to complete a recommended course of therapy and these are likely to produce left-over medicines in case of 100% compliance or short-falls when patients buy inadequate supply to complete the recommended regime of antibiotics. A simplified guideline on antibiotic use is required based on national data of antimicrobial resistance in different pathogens in the country. Pharmaceutical packing of antibiotics should be reviewed jointly by health policy makers and infectious disease physicians with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry to devise steps to reduce left-over antibiotic medications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.