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Inhaled antibiotics could help reduce antimicrobial resistance

Press release issued: 12 May 2022

Using inhaled antibiotics to treat lower respiratory tract infections could help reduce antimicrobial resistance, according to researchers from the University of Bristol and University of Bath.

Acute lower respiratory tract infections (aLRTIs) are the most common condition managed in primary care worldwide and antibiotic resistant strains are the leading cause of antimicrobial deaths. Oral antibiotics are currently inappropriately given in around 50% of cases, contributing to antimicrobial resistance and medicines waste.

In an article published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine [11 May], the researchers propose that inhaled antibiotics could be effective in treating people seen in primary care, particularly those with long term lung conditions such as asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). These patients are already familiar with using inhalers, and inhaled antibiotics could deliver higher concentrations in smaller doses than when taken by mouth, and therefore cause less harm.

Read the full press release on the Centre for Academic Primary Care website

Comment article: Inhaled antibiotics for acute lower respiratory tract infections in primary care: a hypothesis by Alastair Hay, Albert Bolhuis, Alyson Huntley and Matthew Jones. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. May 2022.

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