The Report “The use of antibiotics in Italy - 2020” provides data and analyzes on the trend in consumption and expenditure in Italy for antibiotics for human use.
"This work, one of the most important carried out by the National Observatory on the Use of Medicines of AIFA - stated the Director General Nicola Magrini - illustrates a highly worrying Italian, European and global situation: antibiotics are used too much and often in a inappropriate, albeit with signs of improvement. Italy is configured as a country with a high rate of resistance, with a patchy regional situation. Parsimony is the key word for an improvement in the use of antibiotics in all fields, in compliance with the One Health logic. ".
"Italy is still far from the target set by the WHO General Program of Work 2019-2023, according to which the percentage of antibiotics belonging to the Access category used at national level should be greater than 60% - said Filomena Fortinguerra of AIFA.
"The optimization of antibiotic therapy appears very urgent given the numerous estimates that place Italy among the European countries where the individual risk of receiving an inappropriate antibiotic prescription, of acquiring a hospital infection or an infection caused by resistant bacteria is greater high - said Evelina Tacconelli, coordinator of the AIFA OPERA group - It is essential to promote interventions at various levels aimed at optimizing prescriptions, the correct use of new antibiotic molecules in hospitals and the homogenization of therapeutic approaches in the community. A change is needed that includes a rethinking of the prescribing act based on evidence and a conscious approach, to protect the new molecules and ensure the reduction of the risk of further spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria ”.
“Over the years, OsMed has integrated many different experiences into its work, adopting an increasingly multidisciplinary approach - said Francesco Trotta of AIFA. The integration of sources and the sharing of information is essential, using the tools available in the area to monitor and improve prescriptive behavior ".
The Report includes the focus on consumption in the pediatric population, on the prescription of antibiotics in the elderly, on the prescriptions of fluoroquinolones in specific subgroups of the population, on the use of antibiotics in hospitals, those relating to the private purchase of class A antibiotics, on the consumption of antibiotics for non-systemic use and the evaluation of indicators of prescribing appropriateness in the context of general medicine. There are comparative data of Italian consumption compared to other European countries and an analysis of the experiences of implementing programs for the correct management of antibiotics in hospital. An assessment of the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on antibiotic consumption was also conducted as part of pharmaceutical healthcare and procurement by public health facilities, which included the first eight months of the year 2021. to investigate whether the emergency linked to the pandemic has led to an increase in the inappropriate use of antibiotics, especially in hospitals, with a possible negative impact on the spread of resistant bacteria.
The presentation, moderated by Agnese Cangini (AIFA) and Carlo Gagliotti (Emilia-Romagna Regional Health and Social Agency), was attended by: Filomena Fortinguerra and Francesco Trotta (AIFA), Benedikt Huttner (WHO), Sandra Vernero (Slow Medicine), Alessandro Rossi (SIMG), Evelina Tacconelli (University of Verona), Anna Teresa Palamara ISS, Antonio Battisti (IZS of Lazio and Tuscany), Antonio Fortino (Agenas) and Alessandro Perrella (Campania Region).
To review the presentation
The Report is available , here