A letter by leading scientists, which featured in The Telegraph this week, warning the Government of the potential implications of their new ‘pharmacy first’ policy on AMR has been co-signed by BIVDA Chief Executive, Doris-Ann Williams.
The letter begins by welcoming the changes to community pharmacies which allow pharmacists to prescribe medicines for common illnesses, however, warns that unless the initiative considers the potential impact on antimicrobial resistance, there is a significant risk that it will exacerbate the problem.
The solution to prescribing the correct antibiotics for a patient’s condition lies in accurate rapid diagnostic tests. Rolling out these quick, low-cost tests to pharmacists to ensure only those patients who need antibiotics receive them will mitigate the problem of AMR potentially arising due to the Government’s new policy.
Unless the world gets a grip on the issue, deaths caused by AMR will increase tenfold by 2050 – amounting to an estimated 10 million deaths globally – and cost the world economy $100 trillion.
You can read the letter here.
