A study examines global trends in antibiotic use from 2000 to 2015. Antibiotic resistance is a major global public health threat. Knowledge of antibiotic consumption patterns could inform policies aimed at minimizing antibiotic resistance. Eili Klein and colleagues used pharmaceutical sales data to study antibiotic consumption patterns in 76 countries from 2000 to 2015. The results revealed that defined daily doses (DDD)--a common metric for measuring antibiotic consumption--increased by 65%, from 21.1 billion to 34.8 billion DDDs, and that the antibiotic consumption rate increased by 39%, from 11.3 to 15.7 DDDs per 1,000 inhabitants per day, over the study period. The increase was associated with GDP per capita growth in low-income and middle-income countries, where consumption increased by 114%, from 11.4 billion to 24.5 billion DDDs, and the consumption rate increased by 77%, from 7.6 to 13.5 DDDs per 1,000 inhabitants per day. In high-income countries, antibiotic consumption increased by 6%, from 9.7 billion to 10.3 billion DDDs, but the consumption rate decreased by 4%, from 26.8 to 25.7 DDDs per 1,000 inhabitants per day. The authors also projected total global antibiotic consumption through 2030. According to the authors, with a continuation of current trends, antibiotic consumption is projected to increase by as much as 200% by 2030.
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Article #17-17295: "Global increase and geographic convergence in antibiotic consumption between 2000 and 2015," by Eili Klein et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Rachel Heckscher, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, Washington, DC; tel: 202-328-5115; e-mail: heckscher@cddep.org
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences