The trend of reducing the consumption of antibiotics in Italy continues: -3.3% in 2021 compared to 2020 but consumption is still higher than that of many European countries. In the European comparison, a greater use of broad-spectrum antibiotics also emerges in Italy, which have a higher impact on the development of antibiotic resistance. A wide regional variability in consumption is confirmed, with significant margins for improvement of the prescribing appropriateness especially in the Southern Regions. These are some of the elements that emerge from the Report “The use of antibiotics in Italy – 2021”, edited by the Observatory National on the Use of Medicines (OsMed) of AIFA, published on the Agency’s portal. In 2021, about 3 out of 10 citizens received at least one prescription of antibiotics, with a prevalence that increases with age, reaching 50% in the over 85s. In the pediatric population, the greatest consumption is concentrated in the age group between 2 and 5 years, in which about 4 in 10 children received at least one prescription for antibiotics in the year. 76% of the doses used were dispensed by the National Health Service (NHS) and almost 90% of the antibiotics reimbursed by the NHS are dispensed in the area (under an agreed assistance regime). More than a quarter of territorial consumption (26.3%) corresponds to private purchases of antibiotics reimbursable by the NHS (class A).
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