Free antibiotics may contribute to drug resistance, officials say
“We don’t want to discourage companies from providing low-cost medications to their consumers,” said Dr. Lauri Hicks, medical director for the C.D.C.’s “Get Smart Program,” which offers educational materials about appropriate antibiotic use. “If a patient believes that they can get an antibiotic quite easily or for free, then it may increase the pressure on health care providers to prescribe it.”
The generic antibiotics included in the free programs are relatively inexpensive compared to other drugs, in part because they typically are used for limited periods and are not refilled. Pharmacies have adopted the programs to promote customer loyalty and compete for the business of major retailers like Wal-Mart.
I guess high prices are better. I have discharged patients from the hospital who absolutely cannot afford antibiotics. Free antibiotics were a wonderful option.
The free antibiotics are a wonderful option for our poor patients. The complaints have modest merit, but I think the benefits more than outweigh the risks.
So who out there in the blogosphere objects to free antibiotics?
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This may be off topic but I haven’t found a knowledgeable person to whom to pose the question: Why is it that we attribute antibiotic resistance to practices within the US when clearly there are much larger populations out of the US, such as Iran, Mexico, etc who buy the same antibiotics over the counter?
I don’t mean to sound snarky, but how do we know that the antibiotic resistant bugs aren’t originating in those places due to their practices and being introduced here by foreigners (like a lot of diseases)? Are there any epidemological studies that show that these strains evolve within nations that tightly regulate antibiotic usage rather than in nations that don’t? If the problem is originating outside the US and coming in, it seems almost pointless to spend a lot of time and effort using a bucket with holes to bail out a sinking the ship.
The free and $4 list antibiotics have really helped my patients with high copays or no insurance. Many patients do not take medications secondary to the high cost of brand name meds. Most of the free and $4 list medications are older generics. that work as well as the latest drug rep pushed brand name meds, allow the patients to be compliant with their prescribed medications.
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