A decade of antibiotics data in NZ shows "encouraging" trends

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-08-15 00:01

New Zealand

Photo by Christina Victoria Craft

Pharmacy dispensing of antibiotics in NZ from 2010 to 2019 has declined, including a drop of a third among children under the age of five. However, differences between some groups persisted through the decade, with Pacific people and those in deprived areas receiving more antibiotics than others. The researchers say we're making progress in using antimicrobials more carefully to reduce bacterial resistance to medication, but they recommend looking at how antibiotics are given to different groups, and why use of one common broad-spectrum antibiotic has increased.

Media release

From: Pasifika Medical Association Group

This study looked at how often antibiotics were prescribed and collected from pharmacies (dispensed) in New Zealand between 2010 and 2019. It found that overall dispensing went down, especially for antibiotics that have a higher risk of bacteria becoming resistant, which compromises the effectiveness of the medication and makes infections harder to treat. However, use of one common antibiotic, cefalexin, increased. The study also showed that some groups, like Pacific peoples, young children and those in deprived areas, received more antibiotics. These results show progress in reducing antibiotic use, while also highlighting the need to monitor how antibiotics are dispensed across different groups.

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: University of Otago

Funder: This work was supported by a postgraduate publishing bursary from the University of Otago, awarded to the first author during their Master’s studies.

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