Antimicrobial resistance

How to evaluate the clinical appropriateness of an antimicrobial

Clinically reviewing the choice of antimicrobial for individual patients is an effective way for pharmacists to contribute to the fight against antimicrobial resistance.…

Cefiderocol effective for carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative infections

The clinical and microbiological outcomes of cefiderocol, a new antibiotic, were similar to the best available therapy for patients with life-threatening carbapenem-resistant infections, a phase III study has suggested.…

Stuck in the 1950s: why UTI diagnosis badly needs an update

Urinary tract infections are the second most common reason for prescribing an antibiotic and, with antimicrobial stewardship a priority for the government, the stakes for accurate diagnosis are being raised ever higher.…

Honey effective at relieving URTI symptoms, analysis concludes

Honey is superior to usual care for improving symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms, researchers have concluded.…

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.…

Pharmacists should make themselves familiar with the Antifungal Drug Interactions Database

In this time of growing antimicrobial resistance, we do not have unlimited ways to effectively treat a systemic infection. We must be antimicrobial stewards and use antimicrobials responsibly to preserve their effectiveness[1] . This applies to antifungals too — not just antibiotics[2…

We need a national de-labelling drive for patients with penicillin allergy

False penicillin allergies are placing patients at risk of resistant infections and are a threat to antimicrobial stewardship; we must safely de-label patients to avoid these costs to public health.…

Dangerous labels: incorrect penicillin allergies fuel antibiotic resistance

The vast majority of people with a penicillin allergy label are, in fact, not allergic, leading to significant healthcare implications. Experts say it is now time for a national “de-labelling” drive to help conserve vital antibiotics.…