News | Antimicrobial resistance and stewardship

Government tightens availability of remdesivir treatment for COVID-19 patients as supplies shrink

Patients with COVID-19 across the UK will now have to meet additional criteria before being prescribed remdesivir as supplies of the drug become limited.…

Clinical guidelines recommend dipstick tests for lower UTI diagnosis alongside two or more symptoms

Accurate diagnosis of a lower urinary tract infection in women aged under 65 years should be based on a positive dipstick test result for nitrite, alongside two or more urinary symptoms, new guidelines from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network say.…

Would my son have his Lyme disease diagnosis without my mother’s instinct? It’s time we trusted our patients

Pharmacist Arlene Brailey continues to fight for better testing and diagnosis of Lyme disease, after a tick bite left her son chronically ill.…

Beyond antibiotics: harnessing bacteria’s natural predators

With antibiotic resistance set to cost 10 million lives per year by 2050, there is a renaissance of interest in the potential of bacteriophages to be the next generation of bacteria killers.…

Preserving macrolides

Macrolide antibiotics have many uses, particularly for penicillin-allergic patients, but recent trends suggest that resistance is increasing among Gram-positive infections.…

Point-of-care testing for influenza could improve antimicrobial use, feasibility study concludes

Point-of-care testing for influenza is feasible in primary care and may improve antimicrobial use, a study in the British Journal of General Practice has concluded.…

Evidence shows the antibiotics market is failing, but here is how it can be revived

A core group of pharmaceutical companies are making progress in tackling the spread of antimicrobial resistance, but change is not happening at the scale needed to radically impact the threat from drug resistance.…

Sepsis risk factors could help inform antimicrobial stewardship in primary care, study suggests

Risk of sepsis and benefit from antibiotics following a GP consultation for infection are more substantial among those who are older, frail or who have had a urinary tract infection, a study has found.…

Almost all patients who used pharmacy sore throat test and treat service would choose service again

Nearly 100% of patients who accessed a community pharmacy sore throat test and treat service said they would return to their pharmacy for subsequent sore throat symptoms, a survey has found.…

Delaying antibiotics in upper respiratory tract infection could increase risk of hospital admission, study suggests

Delayed antibiotic prescribing is associated with an increase in the risk of infection-related hospital admissions and repeat antibiotic prescribing in patients with upper respiratory tract infection, a study in Clinical Infectious Diseases has suggested.…