Pharmacists face daily inappropriate demands for antibiotics, survey finds

Pharmacists are facing inappropriate demands for antibiotics every day, with some patients stockpiling them for holidays despite the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance, a report says.

Staff receive requests for the drugs to treat minor ailments such as coughs and colds even if they are not needed, according to the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which represents 6,000 independent community pharmacies in England. Its survey found 79% of pharmacists were having to refuse requests for antibiotics from patients at least once a day.

A quarter of pharmacists said patients frequently returned partially used antibiotics, while 37% were aware of patients regularly hoarding them for a later date. Half-used courses of antibiotics were being posted on local social media groups, the NPA said.

Other issues include patients requesting antibiotics from their pharmacy before going on holiday just in case of illness, and people returning from abroad with huge quantities of antibiotics for conditions not treated by them in the UK.

Olivier Picard, the chair of the NPA, said: “These are concerning findings and shows there are widespread misconceptions about the role that antibiotics can play among some patients.

“Although antibiotics may be an appropriate course of treatment for some conditions, for other ailments like viral coughs and sore throats, they may not be effective. This could also mean antibiotics may not be effective for treating more serious conditions, posing a risk to patient safety."

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Source: The Guardian, 6 May 2025

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