Pharmacists contest EU's damning antibiotics report

Maltese pharmacists are contesting an EU report which found that they are contributing to an unnecessary high consumption of anti-biotics by selling them without a prescription.

"I categorically deny this statement - Maltese pharmacists sell antibiotics with great care and only against a prescription," Reginald Fava, chairman of the healthcare section in the Chamber of Commerce, said. This statement was backed by Max Borg Millo, from the Chamber of Pharmacists.

According to a Eurobarometer survey, 55 per cent of Maltese admitted taking antibiotics in the previous 12 months, making Malta the second highest consumer of antibiotics, after Italy.

The report said Malta's high use of antibiotics was based on two main factors: the ease with which doctors prescribe antibiotics and their availability from pharmacies.

However, Mr Fava said the sale of antibiotics without prescription was the exception and not the rule.

"Pharmacists are trained and very responsible - there might be a few who sell antibiotics over-the-counter but these are the exception and not the rule."

According to the Eurobarometer report, the average use of antibiotics among EU members was 40 per cent. Incorrect use of antibiotics is a leading and contributory factor to antibiotic resistant bacteria, such as MRSA.

In another Commission report, it was estimated that between five and 10 per cent of all antibiotics sold in Malta were not prescribed by doctors but sold by pharmacists without a prescription.

Mr Borg Millo said: "Sometimes they might sell antibiotics against an emergency prescription on Sunday morning, for example, when a person comes in with a text message from a doctor - but this is still registered."

He said the sale of antibiotics without prescription used to be more common around 10 years ago, but it has decreased by around 90 per cent as a result of a government awareness campaign.

But the Commission report, which looked into the "prudent use" of the anti-microbial agents in medicine, notes that although Malta has launched a strategy and an action plan to reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics, it has not been very effective so far.

Michael Borg, chairman of the Infection Control Committee at Mater Dei Hospital, insisted the strategy has been effective. "There was a high improvement over the years thanks to the government campaign especially when one looks at the consumption of antibiotics in the 1990s."

In fact, sale of antibiotics without a prescription in Malta decreased from 14 per cent in the 1990s to around four per cent in 2009, Dr Borg said, quoting the Eurobarometer report.

However, he admitted that Malta did have a relatively high pro-antibiotic culture, which was why the government introduced the education campaign. Also, there was still a great lack of knowledge about the use of antibiotics. "Around 70 per cent of antibiotics were taken for flu, colds and sore throats which are all viral infections, and therefore cannot be cured by antibiotics," Dr Borg said.

Many Maltese still thought antibiotics could cure these illnesses. "This has confirmed what we suspected - that we still need to invest and address this issue," he said.