About: antibiotics

Antimicrobial resistance set to become bigger killer than cancer by 2050

Antimicrobial resistance is a ticking time bomb. Ahead of the European Antibiotic Awareness Day on 18 November, the EU and public health stakeholders are aiming to raise awareness of this issue and make it a policy priority in the member states.

India’s drug factories provide breeding ground for deadly viruses

Many antibiotics sold in Germany are produced in India under alarming conditions. These are contributing to the development of dangerous pathogens that are resistant to many medicines. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Antibiotic resistance needs global response

Bacteria are becoming more resistant and only a few new types of antibiotic have been introduced in recent decades. Humanity could once again suffer millions of deaths each year from infectious diseases, warn Lars Adaktusson and Magnus Oscarsson.

The Brief: Our Yes Man in Brussels?

Have the British replaced their man in Brussels with a Yes Man in Brussels?

Study denounces ‘false belief’ in antibiotics

An unprecedented study carried out by a multinational team shows that antibiotic use among Spanish children is verging on excessive, as they are given twice what their German and American equivalents are. EURACTIV Spain reports.

EU health chief: Commission is stepping up antimicrobial resistance fight

The European Commission will increase pressure on the member states to better coordinate their national action plans to tackle antimicrobial resistance, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis said in an interview with EURACTIV.com.

Antimicrobial resistance ‘high on political agenda’, EU claims

The European Commission is determined to further strengthen its antimicrobial resistance action for the period beyond 2016, an EU official has told EURACTIV.com, dismissing allegations that the EU executive lacks the political will to do so.

MEPs want to restrict farmers’ use of antibiotics in healthy animals

The use of existing antimicrobial drugs on EU farms should be restricted particularly when these are used as preventive measures, lawmakers urged yesterday (17 February).

Antibiotic resistance looms as serious threat to health

Intestinal bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics have been detected in animals, humans and food in Germany. Experts fear future health problems if steps are not immediately taken. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Pharma pollution is overlooked cause of antimicrobial resistance

Unused pharmaceuticals, which end up in the environment, such as in groundwater, pose a major threat to public health and the environment, by leading to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans.

Antibiotics on animal farms spread deadly pathogens, experts warn

The consistent use of antibiotics in animal farms in Germany are spreading antibiotic-resistant germs and causing experts to call for stricter measures against drugs. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Parliament votes for tougher regulation of antibiotics

MEPs have adopted a resolution to tackle the increase of drug-resistant diseases, which kill 25,000 EU citizens each year. EURACTIV France reports. 

German government poised to tackle growing antibiotic resistance

Germany hopes to slow the development and spread of antibiotic resistance in medicine and agriculture with its new "DART 2020" strategy. But critics have their doubts, saying it does not do enough to curb large-scale use of antibiotics on livestock farms. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Why antibiotic resistance must be tackled at the farm, too

25,000 Europeans die each year from antibiotic resistance. Many more suffer from its consequences. On European Antibiotic Awareness Day, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) is calling on consumers to go easy on antibiotics when struck by sickness, writes Monique Goyens.

Last-line drug resistance poses ‘alarming’ European health threat

More and more infections in Europe are proving able to evade even the most powerful antibiotics, posing an alarming threat to patient safety in the region, health officials said on Monday (17 November).

Sweden uses the fewest antibiotics in food production

Swedish stock-farmers are those making the least use of antibiotics for food production, according to a report by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) spanning 25 European countries.

Commission launches new projects to fight drug-resistant bacteria

The European Commission is stepping up the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by funding 15 new research projects, as new data reveals that Europe's health systems are increasingly relying on a frail last line of antibiotic defence.

EU body may provide ‘solution’ to antibiotics resistance threat, says UK medical chief

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, Professor Dame Sally Davies, has pointed to the danger of bacteria's growing resistance to antibiotics, saying an EU funded medical initiative may be the solution to the problem.

Antibiotics: Preserving a precious resource

Antibiotics are a precious resource but they are often wasted on treating cold and flu's, with the dangerous effect that bacteria can develop resistance to them, writes Dr. Fidelma Fitzpatrick. However, there are many things policymakers and healthcare professional can do to preserve the efficacy of antibiotics, she says.

EU to offer ‘incentives’ for alternative antibiotic research

The European Union is stepping up the fight against hospital bugs amid fears that antibiotic-resistant bacteria could spark a plague of infectious disease which will paralyse healthcare systems.

EU research aims to tackle resistance to antibiotics

GRACE, an EU research network, will tackle the increasing problem of resistance to antibiotics and promote the responsible use of these drugs to doctors and patients.

EU tests confirm health risk of using growth hormones

The EU Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures relating to Public Health (SCVPH) confirmed that the use of hormones as growth promoters in cattle poses a potential health risk to consumers, following a review of 17 studies and other recent scientific data.

Growth promoting antibiotics to be banned in feed

The European Commission has presented proposals to prohibit the use of antibiotics as growth-promoting feed additives. The Commission proposes to phase out the four remaining antibiotics currently authorised for use as growth-promoters in feed by January 2006.