According to the Sedaye Sama News Agency, Antibiotic medications are considered one of the main pillars of infection treatment in medicine, but recently there has been global concern regarding their use. This concern arises from the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens—known as antimicrobial resistance—which threatens the ability of physicians to treat common infections and perform vital procedures such as cancer chemotherapy, cesarean sections, hip replacements, organ transplants, and other surgeries.

Antibiotic resistance is a natural process that occurs gradually over time through genetic changes in pathogens. However, its emergence and spread accelerate due to human activities, especially the improper or excessive use of antibiotics for the treatment, prevention, or control of infections.

Antimicrobial drugs—including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics—are used to prevent and treat infectious diseases in humans, animals, and plants. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines. As a result, antibiotics and other antimicrobials become ineffective, making infections difficult or even impossible to treat. This situation increases the risk of disease spread, severe symptoms, disability, and death.

Antibiotic resistance imposes significant costs on healthcare systems and national economies. For example, it increases the need for more intensive and expensive medical care and, due to prolonged hospitalization, reduces the productivity of patients and their caregivers.

The global rise in antibiotic resistance has created a serious threat and reduced the effectiveness of commonly used medications against widespread bacterial infections. The 2022 report of the “Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS)” reveals alarming statistics on resistance among common bacterial pathogens.

Recently, the Minister of Health and the head of the Food and Drug Administration have also warned about the high consumption of antibiotics in the country, announcing that antibiotic use in Iran is above the global average.

What percentage of prescriptions contain antibiotics?

In this context, Azita Nabizadeh, Acting Head of the Department of Health Technology Assessment and Economic Studies at the Food and Drug Administration, told Tasnim News Agency that based on available data from outpatient prescriptions covered by the Social Security Organization, about 34.41% of medical prescriptions contain antibacterial drugs.

Azithromycin tops physicians’ prescriptions

Regarding the most commonly used antibiotics in the country, she said:
The five most frequently prescribed antibiotics in 2024 (1403) are, respectively:
Azithromycin 500 mg, Cefixime 400 mg, Co-amoxiclav 625 mg, Azithromycin 250 mg, and Amoxicillin 500 mg.

Which injectable antibiotics are prescribed the most?

She added that the five most commonly prescribed injectable antibiotics in 2024 are:
Cefazolin 1 g, Penicillin 3-3-6, Benzathine Penicillin G 1,200,000 units, Ceftriaxone 1 g, and Procaine Penicillin G 800,000 units.

The top 5 cities with the highest antibiotic prescriptions

Nabizadeh further stated that the top five cities with the highest percentage of prescriptions containing antimicrobial drugs are:
Zabol, Bam, Ardabil, Kashan, and Abadan.

source: tasnim