Anti-infective agents

C. difficile cases increase by one-third over three years, government data show

Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that a three-year increase in Clostridioides difficile infections in England was observed across all seven UKHSA regions.…

Almost 80% of pharmacies receive inappropriate antibiotic requests every day, reveals survey

The majority of pharmacies surveyed by the National Pharmacy Association also said they were worried that demand for antibiotics for minor ailments “posed a serious risk to patient safety”.…

New antibiotic already causing AMR concerns, study results suggest

Researchers also found that ceftazidime with avibactam-resistant bacteria coincided with the presence of carbapenemase genes.…

Neonatal sepsis: prevention and management

The third article in a series on complications associated with prematurity and unwell neonates.…

Antibiotic could help tackle drug-resistant gonorrhoea, study results suggest

Researchers found that gepotidacin was as effective as the current recommended first-line therapy for gonorrhoea.…

English pharmacy sore throat service twice as likely to supply antibiotics than Welsh equivalent

Researchers compared the antibiotic supply rates of the two schemes and found that 72.7% of patients in England were prescribed with antibiotics following a pharmacy consultation, compared with 29.9% in Wales.…

How a global health partnership with an NHS trust has transformed care for patients in Zambia

By partnering with King’s College London, pharmacists at Ndola Teaching Hospital in Zambia have learnt from their counterparts working at St George’s Hospital infectious disease department.…

Rapid on-site genetic sequencing could help curb antimicrobial-resistant outbreaks, says MHRA

Researchers found that rapid on-site genetic sequencing detects bacterial infections within two days, which is “significantly faster“ than traditional methods.…

NHS England to commission whooping cough vaccination service through community pharmacies

The respiratory syncytial virus and pertussis vaccination service is aimed to help supplement vaccination programmes delivered by GPs and NHS trusts.…

Government ‘a long way off’ from meeting targets to control AMR infections

Despite the government’s goal of reducing antimicrobial-resistant infections by 10% between 2018 and 2025, a National Audit Office report found that infections in England had risen by 2023 to 13% above the 2018 baseline.…