News by Subject
List and find news items by the subject covered
Subject A-Z
To view a list of news subjects currently covered, please select a subject initial letter from the line below.
News items on 'Antibacterial Drugs'
European antibiotic awareness day
(Health Protection Agency 18/11/2009)
Today (18th November 2009) marks the second annual European Antibiotic Awareness Day, established to highlight the problem of increasing antibiotic resistance and the need for prudent use of antibiotics. Figures from the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption project, which monitors antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance in countries across Europe, suggest that antibiotic use in many countries remains too high.
GPs 'must cut use of antibiotics'
(BBC 09/11/2009)
GPs are once again being warned to cut back on the number of antibiotics they prescribe. In recent years, the government, health protection experts and drug advisers have warned that overuse is increasing antibiotic resistance. And now the European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control has warned if trends continue it will make it harder for hospitals to carry out operations.
Antibiotic resistance clue found
(BBC 13/09/2009)
US scientists have uncovered a defence mechanism in bacteria that allows them to fend off the threat of antibiotics. It is hoped the findings could help researchers boost the effectiveness of existing treatments. The study published in Science found that nitric oxide produced by the bacteria eliminates some key effects of a wide range of antibiotics. One UK expert said inhibiting nitric oxide synthesis could be an important advance for tackling tricky infections.
Stop asking for antibiotics to cure coughs and colds, Government tells patients
(Daily Mail 17/02/2009)
Patients should not expect to be prescribed antibiotics to cure coughs and colds, the Government will warn today. More than £100million is wasted every year on 23million prescriptions for drugs to fight illnesses against which they have no effect. Now ministers are launching an awareness campaign to tackle the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance.
Providing prescription drugs over the counter 'will not help patients'
(Telegraph 13/01/2009)
In a survey of 251 healthcare professionals: 64.5%, said trimethoprim should not be available over-the-counter in pharmacies, and 79.7% said the same about tamsulosin; 58.2%, felt offering an antibiotic OTC could increase resistance to the drug. 58% said there was little evidence that a cholesterol-lowering drug, simvastatin, now available OTC was in a high enough dose to help patients.
Heavy legs
(BBC 13/12/2008)
France is the biggest consumer of antibiotics in Europe. The government has recently tried to wean the country off its dependency with a series of TV advertisements which reassure the ailing that they do not always need drugs. A Parisian GP I know, Dr Auber, believes that France enjoys a reputation for having such a great health service simply because its doctors routinely prescribe more medicines.
'Nanotech search' for antibiotics
(BBC 13/10/2008)
UK researchers are using microscopic "nanoprobes" to find new drugs to tackle antibiotic resistance. The researchers tested the silicon-based technology on vancomycin, one of the few remaining antibiotics against infections such as MRSA. The system was able to detect that it is 1,000 times harder for vancomycin to attach to resistant bacteria than to non-resistant bacteria.
Advert
Advert
Advert
| Top 10 Drug Information Leaflets | |
|---|---|
| Co-codamol | |
| Citalopram | |
| Prednisolone | |
| Omeprazole | |
| Metronidazole | |
| Diclofenac | |
| Ramipril | |
| Simvastatin | |
| Flucloxacillin | |
| Mebeverine hydrochloride | |