Outpatient Antibiotic Prescription Trends in the U.S., 2006–2010

During the study period, antibiotic prescription rates declined by 3% overall but were 25% higher in the winter than in the summer.

Antibiotic resistance is a major problem today and is clearly related to antibiotic overprescription and misuse. To design programs for promoting prudent use of anti-infective drugs, knowledge about current prescription patterns is essential. Toward this end, researchers analyzed records for 2006 through 2010 from the IMS Health Xponent database, which captures >70% of all dispensed outpatient prescriptions in the U.S. From these data, they determined trends and seasonal variation in antibiotic use.

Between 2006 and 2010, more than 1.34 billion antibiotic prescriptions were dispensed. Penicillins, macrolides, cephalosporins, and quinolones were the classes prescribed most commonly. The overall outpatient prescription rate decreased by 2.8% o…

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Outpatient Antibiotic Prescription Trends in the U.S., 2006–2010

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Reviewing Author