Shortage of penicillin G: impact on antibiotic prescribing at a US tertiary care centre

A six-year retrospective study was undertaken to examine the effect of the recent penicillin G (penG) shortage on antibiotic prescribing practices at a tertiary care centre in the US. Prior to the shortage, penG was predominantly used for intrapartum prophylaxis of group B streptococcal disease. As...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of antimicrobial agents 2003-05, Vol.21 (5), p.484-487
Main Authors: Harbarth, Stephan, Gundlapalli, Adi V., Stockdale, William, Samore, Matthew H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Ampicillin - supply & distribution
Antibacterial agents
Antibiotics
Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents
Biological and medical sciences
Databases, Factual
Drug industry
Drug Prescriptions - statistics & numerical data
Drug Utilization - statistics & numerical data
Female
Health policy
Hospitals
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital
Penicillin G - supply & distribution
Penicillin G supply
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Retrospective Studies
Streptococcus
United States
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Summary:A six-year retrospective study was undertaken to examine the effect of the recent penicillin G (penG) shortage on antibiotic prescribing practices at a tertiary care centre in the US. Prior to the shortage, penG was predominantly used for intrapartum prophylaxis of group B streptococcal disease. As the supply of penG ended temporarily in October 1999, penG use declined dramatically, ampicillin replaced penG in obstetrics and a shift to broad-spectrum agents was noted in non-obstetric patients potentially eligible for penG treatment. Shortage-triggered treatment changes had a negative effect on prescribing patterns, which may contribute to antibiotic resistance.
ISSN:0924-8579
1872-7913
DOI:10.1016/S0924-8579(03)00003-7