Here's the bad news about antibiotic control by the govt.....

I fear this will make it even more difficult for Lyme pts to get their abx. As if we needed more hurdles. Sigh.....

-Bob

WASHINGTON -- Antibiotic stewardship programs can improve patient care, reduce the use of the medications, and save money, researchers reported here.

And in some cases they might be associated with a reduction in antibiotic resistance, investigators said during a media event at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

But the key benefit is improved patient care, according to Fredrik Resman, MD, of Lund University in Malmo, Sweden.

"You have to keep that in mind all the time," Resman told MedPage Today, conceding stewardship programs are a balancing act between the needs of patients and the need to use antibiotics rationally.

"You have to keep that in mind all the time," Resman told MedPage Today, conceding stewardship programs are a balancing act between the needs of patients and the need to use antibiotics rationally.

In a case-control study among geriatric patients, Resman and colleagues were able to cut the duration of antibiotic use by instituting a stewardship program markedly with no impact on mortality.

Read the rest of the story:

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ICAAC/47535