Shutterstock.com
More than one in five UK adults believe that urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be prevented by taking antibiotics as a precaution, according to a survey commissioned by the European Association of Urology (EAU) and supported by GSK.
The survey, which ran during July 2025, involved 3,003 adults from five European nations: the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
The results revealed that 21% (n=124) of UK-based respondents thought taking antibiotics as a precaution, without medical advice, could prevent UTIs, while across the five nations, this figure was 17% (n=513).
In addition, 18% (n=106) of UK respondents believed that antibiotics are always needed for UTIs, while across the five nations, this figure was slightly lower at 16% (n=492).
Gernot Bonkat, chair of the EAU’s infections guidelines panel, said: “UTIs affect over 400 million people worldwide and cause approximately 240,000 deaths each year, with rising antibiotic resistance making them harder to treat.
“This study shows that raising public awareness, as well as education about symptoms, causes, and treatment, is still essential to prevent infections, reduce suffering, and slow the spread of resistance.
“Importantly, not every infection needs to be treated with antibiotics — judicious use is key to combating resistance.”
Louise Dunsmure, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Antimicrobial Expert Advisory Group, said: “UTIs are major drivers of antibiotic prescribing in primary care, but not every UTI requires antibiotic treatment. For the majority of people, antibiotics are not appropriate for preventing UTIs.
“Misconceptions about antibiotics and UTIs highlight the need for better public awareness around when antibiotics are needed. Unnecessary antibiotic use drives antimicrobial resistance, making infections harder to treat in the future.
“Through services like Pharmacy First, pharmacists assess symptoms, offer self-care advice and supply antibiotics only when clinically appropriate. Clear communication about the management and prevention of UTIs is needed to protect the effectiveness of antibiotics for future generations. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians play a key role in this, ensuring every use of antibiotics is safe, appropriate and evidence based.”
In August 2025, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), approved gepotidacin (Blujepa; GSK), as the UK’s first new UTI antibiotic for 30 years.
At the time, Julian Beach, interim executive director of healthcare quality and access at the MHRA, said: “The antibiotic’s targeted mechanism of action makes it more difficult for bacteria to develop treatment resistance — a crucial factor as drug-resistant bacteria are increasingly on the rise globally.”
Further reading
‘Urinary tract infection in adults: diagnosis, management and prevention‘;
‘How to evaluate the clinical appropriateness of an antimicrobial‘.
