S. Korea Doctors Continue To Over-Prescribe Antibiotics
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
A South Korean report says hospitals in the country continue to over-prescribe antibiotics, often for minor viral ailments in contravention of recommended practice. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service said that in the third quarter of last year the abuse was worse than in the same period the previous year. Often, it said, antibiotics are prescribed for colds or flu caused by viruses, for which the treatment is useless. The report said South Korean physicians prescribe antibiotics for cold as much as four times more frequently than in the Netherlands and 43 percent more often than in the United States. (Click here for more