Comparison of Total Antibiotic Consumption of European Union Countries and Türkiye in the Period 2010-2021: Rational Drug Use and the Effects of the Pandemic

Introduction: Many initiatives are being implemented worldwide to reduce antibiotic consumption; however, the comparative analysis of these initiatives and their effectiveness in the face of large-scale variables such as pandemics are not thoroughly examined. In this regard, this study aims to analyze the total antibiotic consumption trends in the ATC group 101 in Turkiye and European countries, explore the differences between countries, and investigate the impact of the recent pandemic on changes in antibiotic consumption data. Materials and Methods: ATC group 101 total antibiotic consumption (hospital + community) data of Turkiye and 19 European countries between 2010 and 2021 were concatenated and compared. Data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TITCK) were used for the study. Antibiotic consumption data was represented in terms of defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 patients per day. Results: Despite having the highest antibiotic consumption during the period in focus, Turkiye showed a statistically significant (p= 0.05) decrease with antibiotic consumption data of 41.43 defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 patients per day between 2010-2015 and 32.24 DDD per 1000 patients per day between 2016-2021. In 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in effect, antibiotic consumption in Europe dropped to 14.91 defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 patients per day, the lowest level between 2010 and 2021, while in Turkiye it dropped to 24.39 defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 patients per day recorded in 2020 and increased to 26.97 defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 patients per day recorded in 2021. Conclusion: Rational drug use practices were effective in reducing antibiotic consumption in Turkiye. However, the trend was disrupted with the 2021 consumption data, indicating a deviation from the previous progress. In contrast, European countries displayed variations in antibiotic consumption levels, but overall, they experienced a decrease in consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the total antibiotic consumption trends in the ATC group 101 in Turkey and European countries, and found that while Turkey showed a significant decrease in antibiotic consumption between 2010 and 2015, there was a deviation in the 2021 consumption data. In contrast, European countries experienced an overall decrease in antibiotic consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic.