Antibiotics: Doctors told to stop indiscriminate prescribing

UK health regulators have put a ban on the overuse of antibiotics. They are concerned that doctors are over-prescribing and inappropriately prescribing the drugs.

Doctors regularly prescribe antibiotics for sore throats, colds and coughs for which the drugs are ineffective, and now the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) wants an immediate stop to the practice.

Overall, doctors in the UK write around 38 million prescriptions for antibiotics, costing the National Health Service around £175m a year.

Aside from the cost, Nice is also concerned that this overuse is resulting in a resistance against antibiotics, and they are becoming useless against serious infectious diseases, such as Clostridium difficile.

(Source: Daily Telegraph, July 23, 2008).

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