Germany’s Antibiotic Consumption on the Rise Again
A recent analysis by the Wissenschaftlichen Institut der AOK (WIdO) reveals that the German social health insurance (GKV) spent a total of 792.1 million euros on 36.1 million packages of antibiotics in 2023, marking the first time the consumption levels have surpassed those of pre-pandemic 2019. In 2022, the number of prescriptions was 30.5 million, a 18.4% increase in 2023.
The proportion of prescriptions for reserve antibiotics remained relatively stable at 43.4% since 2020, with the absolute numbers of reserve antibiotic prescriptions returning to a similar level as in 2019 after a decline during the pandemic years.
The trend of declining antibiotic prescriptions, which had been observed since 2014, was interrupted by the increase in prescriptions since 2022. “The renewed increase in prescriptions of reserve antibiotics is alarming” said WIdO’s managing director, Helmut Schröder. “It could further exacerbate the risk of resistances, which would have dramatic consequences in the case of life-threatening illnesses.