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China recently issued its first national guideline
on the clinical use of antibacterial
medicines, China's Health Ministry said in Beijing
Saturday.
The guideline classified antibacterial drugs into three types based on
their clinical effects and safety and asked hospitals to adopt different
prescription rules for each type, Wang Yu, a senior official with the
Health Ministry said at a press briefing.
The guideline also set up principles for the application of
antibacterial drugs in disease treatment and prevention as well as the use
of antibiotics under special pathologic and physical conditions, Wang
said.
Antibacterial drugs have been in clinical use for about 70 years and
saved millions of lives. But the side effects of antibiotics and the
growing antibiotic resistance caused by the abuse of the drugs have
brought about increasingly serious problems.
Wang said antibiotic resistance caused needless human suffering and
death and increased health care costs. "The situation in China cannot be
too optimistic," he said.
Statistics from the Health Ministry showed that among 225 death cases
caused by inappropriate use of medicines, 97 were related to antibacterial
drugs, 43 percent of the total death toll.
Wang said the ministry hopes the guideline will function as a reference
to help standardize doctors' use of antibiotics and improve Chinese
hospitals' treatment of bacterial infections.
The ministry is setting up a nationwide network on the resistance of
bacteria to monitor the changes of bacteria. "We will revise the guideline
periodically based on monitoring and research results," Wang said.
(Xinhua) | 
Updated: 2004-10-10 11:13
