UK Government recently announced details for how they plan to support pharmaceutical companies’ investments in the development of drugs to treat antibiotic resistant infections. The NHS looks to test a first-of-its-kind ‘subscription-style’ payment model that will help incentivise companies to develop new drugs required for tackling antibiotic resistant infections. The plan arose after the launch
NICE and PHE have published draft guidance on antimicrobial prescribing for hospital-acquired and community-acquired pneumonia, setting out a strategy designed to optimise antibiotic use and cut down on antibiotic resistance. The guidelines advise that antibiotics should be given to people with community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia within four hours of an established diagnosis. NICE also provided
Zavicefta has now been launched in the UK to treat serious aerobic Gram-negative infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. The Pfizer drug is a fixed combination of avibactam, a new beta-lactamase inhibitor, and ceftazidime, an antibiotic belonging to the class of third generation cephalosporins which is already approved for use in the EU.
Doctors in England have prescribed 2.2 million less antibiotics between 2014 to 2015. Data from Public Health England has shown a significant reduction of 40.7 million to 38.5. A report by the ‘English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance’ (ESPAUR) stated the 4.3 percent decline in antibiotic prescriptions has been noted to be the
