Anti-infective agents

Pharmacists provide antibiotics only where clinically appropriate, minor ailments scheme data show

Data from community pharmacies in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board area have shown 71% of women with a UTI and 55% of patients with a sore throat received antibiotics from the pharmacy.…

Antibiotic prescribing increases by more than 8% in one year

Data published by the government show that there was an increase in antibiotic prescribing, the number of antibiotic-resistant infections and antimicrobial resistance-associated deaths in England between 2021 and 2022.…

Webinar: COVID-19 antivirals — where are we now?

A panel of experts discuss the use of antivirals for the treatment of COVID-19, with consideration for the current landscape and future variants in this webinar recording.…

Supported content

Case-based learning: insect bites and stings

How to identify and manage insect bites and stings, as well as prevention methods.…

Urinary tract infection in adults: diagnosis, management and prevention

This article covers the optimisation of patient outcomes through prompt diagnosis of, and appropriate antibiotic prescribing for, urinary tract infections.…

Community pharmacy staff ‘essential’ in promoting antimicrobial stewardship, says NHS England

NHS England said its findings in a report highlighted the “essential clinical role” community pharmacy teams have in educating the public to ensure appropriate use of antibiotics.…

Cystic fibrosis: management and monitoring of respiratory manifestations

An overview of the pharmacological management of respiratory symptoms in people with cystic fibrosis to ensure they can optimise benefit from their medication regime.…

NICE says more evidence needed for newer UTI point-of-care tests

Several newer point-of-care tests were not recommended in latest guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, in which it concluded that more research needs to be carried out on their accuracy.…

Nearly half of unnecessary days of antibiotic use follow 72-hour review, study results show

The researchers said their discovery may help to provide a target for reducing excess antimicrobial therapy in line with the national antimicrobial resistance strategy.…

Switching patients from IV to oral antimicrobials

IV antimicrobials are important for the effective treatment of infection but there are many benefits to timely switching to oral formulations. This article explains why switching is important, when switches should be considered and how to improve implementation.…