Antimicrobial Consumption in The Community Sector in Poland, 2019-2024: Changes and Challenges.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Antibiotic consumption monitoring is vital for stewardship and policy.
• Poland's community antibiotic use trends (2019-2024) are analyzed against EU 2030 targets.
• EU targets aim for reduced overall antibiotic use and increased reliance on narrow-spectrum 'Access' antibiotics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze recent trends in community antibiotic consumption in Poland.
• To assess progress towards European Union 2030 antibiotic reduction targets.
• To identify patterns in antibiotic prescribing and the use of narrow-spectrum agents.

Main Methods:

• Data on systemic antibacterials (ATC J01) from IQVIA Poland (2019-2024).
• Consumption expressed as defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day (DID).
• Analysis of temporal dynamics and drug group proportions, including WHO Access antibiotics.

Main Results:

• Community antibiotic use declined in 2020 (COVID-19) but rose above pre-pandemic levels by 2022.
• Consumption reached 21.2 DID in 2024, significantly above the EU/EEA average.
• Penicillins (J01C) dominated use; narrow-spectrum penicillins were low. Macrolides (J01F) and cephalosporins (J01D) increased post-pandemic.
• Access antibiotics accounted for 57.3% of outpatient use in 2024, indicating underuse of narrow-spectrum options.

Conclusions:

• Poland's community antibiotic consumption remains high and lags in meeting EU 2030 goals.
• Underuse of narrow-spectrum antibiotics is a key challenge.
• Enhancing stewardship, diagnostics, and infection prevention is crucial for achieving targets.