Antibiotics prescribed for four common infectious conditions fail 15 per cent of the time, a study published in the BMJ has found.
Antibiotics prescribed for four common infectious conditions fail 15 per cent of the time, a study published in the BMJ has found.
The study, performed to establish the level of antibiotic resistance in the UK, analysed data on just under 11 million prescriptions given for upper respiratory tract infections, lower respiratory tract infections, skin and soft tissue infections, and acute otitis media between 1991 and 2012.
It found that 15.4 per cent of these courses failed to treat the condition in 2012, compared with 13.9 per cent in 1991.