7 July 2006

Research by the National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS) shows 1 in 4 Australians incorrectly believe antibiotics can treat a common cold.1 Many people are prescribed an antibiotic for an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) when they are not indicated2 as URTIs are usually viral in origin and self-limiting.3 Inappropriate use of antibiotics contributes to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance. This makes antibiotics less effective when they really are needed.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is a priority worldwide problem.4 WHO research shows that many strains of bacteria are resistant to treatment with antibiotics, less research is being done on developing new antibiotics and countries with greater use of antibiotics have higher levels of antibiotic resistance.

"It’s important to remember that antibiotics work on bacteria, not the viruses which cause common colds. Common colds will usually get better on their own within 5-7 days. We recommend that people with colds take it easy, relieve their symptoms and see their doctor or pharmacist if the symptoms get worse," Dr Lynn Weekes, CEO of NPS, said.

"Community pharmacies play a vital role in educating consumers on how to treat the symptoms of common colds, advising on the role of antibiotics and reducing the demand for antibiotics in treating common colds. We urge pharmacy staff to remind consumers to use a common sense approach and treat the symptoms," she said.

This winter, NPS is running its sixth common colds need common sense campaign which aims to reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics for viral respiratory tract infections and help address the worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance. The campaign provides pharmacists and their staff with information to help consumers correctly manage their common colds without antibiotics.

The campaign also includes:

ENDS

NPS is an independent, non-profit organisation for Quality Use of Medicines. NPS is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA), Australian Medical Association (AMA) and Child Health Association of Tasmania (CHAT) support NPS’s common colds need common sense, they don’t need antibiotics campaign and recognise the importance of improving people’s understanding that antibiotics do not treat common colds.

^{1 Newspoll. Cold & Flu Study: Wave VI. Sydney: Newspoll, August 2005 (unpublished report commissioned by NPS).}

^{2 National Insitute of Clincial Studies. Volume 1, Evidence-Practice Gaps Report. Melbourne; 2003 http://www.nicsl.com.au/knowledge_reports_detail.aspx?view=15 (date accessed 5 July 2006)}

^{³ The Writing Group for Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic. Therapeutic guidelines: antibiotic. Vol. 12 Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd, 2003. 4 Kaplan W. Laing, R. Priority medicines for Europe and the world Geneva; WHO, November 2004. http://mednet3.who.int/prioritymeds/report/final18october.pdf (date accessed 6 July 2006)}