Free Antibiotic Prescriptions: Unintended Effect
Free Antibiotic Prescriptions: Unintended Effect
In many parts of the country a number of retail pharmacy operations
have offered to fill antibiotic prescriptions at no cost to the consumer.
On the surface the idea seems to have been a good one. However, there
has been a down side that the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention) has expressed concern about. Recently, the director of the
CDC’s program on appropriate antibiotic use indicated that he was
surprised that these retail operations would offer free antibiotics during
the cold and flu season. The reason for the concern is that while
antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections, they are not effective
against viral infections such as the cold, sore throats, and influenza.
A continuing problem in the US and certain other countries is the
overprescribing and overuse of antibiotics. It has become a problem
because excess use of antibiotics may cause bacteria to become resistant
to the very antibiotics that are prescribed. Another continuing
problem with antibiotic prescribing is an increase in antibiotic allergic
reactions which has increased the number of consumer visits to hospital
emergency rooms.