European Medicines Agency limits use of well-known antibiotic due to risk of bacterial resistance

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has called for limiting the use of one of the most popular antibiotics in Spain - azithromycin. The medicine is mainly used to treat infections of the throat, tonsils, ears or sinuses, such as bronchitis and pneumonia; skin and soft tissue infections; infections of the urethra (urethritis) or cervix (cervicitis); and sexually transmitted infections, such as chancroid.

The EMA recommends restricting the prescription of this antibiotic due to detecting an increase in bacterial resistance linked to it, which can lead to reduced efficacy against common infections. This occurs when bacteria mutate and develop mechanisms that allow them to survive and grow in the presence of a previously effective antibiotic.

The World Health Organization lists azithromycin as a critically important antibiotic. This group includes antibiotics that should be used with caution, because they have a high potential for resistance or because of the need to conserve them to treat serious infections that do not respond to other treatments.

Therefore, the EMA has determined that azithromycin should not be prescribed for acne, for Helicobacter pylori bacteria and for asthma attacks, as it has not been proved to be effective in all these cases. The aim is to preserve its efficacy and limit its use to cases where its effectiveness has been proven.

In addition, the European Medicines Agency will add a specific warning for healthcare professionals in the product information, highlighting that this antibiotic favours the development of bacterial resistance and that risks and benefits should be assessed before prescribing it.

Azithromycin is a very popular antibiotic, especially in Spain. The consumers' organisation (OCU) says that "its use has skyrocketed in primary care". The OCU also points out that an increase in the prescription of azithromycin has been observed in five European countries: France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, between 2012 and 2021.