Press release no. 688 - The Report "Antibiotic use in Italy - 2020" provides data and analysis on the trend in consumption and expenditure of antibiotics for human use in Italy.
 
“This work, one of the most important carried out by AIFA's National Observatory on the Use of Medicines,” said Director General Nicola Magrini, “illustrates a highly worrying Italian, European and global situation: antibiotics are used too much and often inappropriately, although there are signs of improvement. Italy is a country with a high rate of resistance, and the regional situation is patchy. Parsimony is the key word for an improvement in the use of antibiotics in all fields, in compliance with the One Health logic”. 

“Italy is still far from the target set by the WHO General Programme of Work 2019-2023, according to which the percentage of antibiotics belonging to the Access category used at national level should be greater than 60%” – said Filomena Fortinguerra from AIFA.

“The optimisation of antibiotic therapy appears more urgent than ever, given the numerous estimates that place Italy among the European countries where the individual risk of receiving an inappropriate antibiotic prescription, of acquiring a hospital infection or an infection caused by resistant bacteria is very high” – said Evelina Tacconelli, coordinator of AIFA's OPERA group – “It is essential to promote interventions at various levels aimed at optimising prescriptions, the correct use of new antibiotic molecules in hospitals and the homogenisation of treatment guidelines in the community. A change is needed that includes rethinking the act of prescribing based on evidence and on an informed approach, to protect the new molecules and ensure the reduction of the risk of further spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria”.

“Over the years, OsMed has integrated many different experiences into its work, adopting an increasingly multidisciplinary approach” – said Francesco Trotta from AIFA. “It is essential to integrate sources and share information, using the tools available on the territory to monitor and improve prescribing behaviour”.

The Report includes a focus on consumption in the paediatric population, antibiotic prescribing in the elderly, prescriptions of fluoroquinolones in specific subgroups of the population, antibiotic use in hospitals, private purchase of class A antibiotics, consumption of antibiotics for non-systemic use, and assessment of prescribing appropriateness indicators in General Practice. There are data comparing Italian consumption with that of other European countries and an analysis of experiences in implementing programmes for the correct management of antibiotics in hospitals. An evaluation of the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the consumption of antibiotics in the context of contracted pharmaceutical assistance and purchases by public health facilities was also conducted, taking into account the first eight months of the year 2021, to investigate whether the emergency linked to the pandemic has led to an increase in the inappropriate use of antibiotics, especially in hospitals, with a possible negative impact on the spread of resistant bacteria.
 
The presentation, moderated by Agnese Cangini (AIFA) and Carlo Gagliotti (Agenzia Sanitaria e Sociale Regionale Emilia-Romagna), was attended by: Filomena Fortinguerra and Francesco Trotta (AIFA), Benedikt Huttner (WHO), Sandra Vernero (Slow Medicine), Alessandro Rossi (SIMG), Evelina Tacconelli (University of Verona), Anna Teresa Palamara ISS, Antonio Battisti (IZS of Lazio and Tuscany), Antonio Fortino (Agenas) and Alessandro Perrella (Region Campania).