High levels
of antibiotic use contribute to development of antibiotic resistance.
There is little known about levels of antibiotic use in Samoa,
although anecdotally, there are high levels of use, and a strain
of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus may have developed
there.
The study aimed to gather basic data on levels of antibiotic use
in Samoa.
All those who import medicines into Samoa were interviewed; invoices,
prescription records in hospitals, pharmacies and health centres
were reviewed; and prospective observation was carried out in
private pharmacies.
Analysis of orders made in one year provided an estimate of overall
antibiotic consumption of 37.3 Defined Daily Doses (DDDs) per
1000 inhabitant days. Penicillins comprised 63% of DDDs used.
Antibiotics were around a third of all prescribed drugs in hospitals
and pharmacies, and 44% of those dispensed in health centres.
Approximately two-thirds of prescriptions dispensed included an
antibiotic. A quarter of antibiotic sales in pharmacies were without
a prescription.
Samoa has high rates of use of antibiotics and very high reliance
on penicillins, compared to other developing countries. Levels
of prescribing are high compared with other developing nations.
It is feasible to calculate total consumption of medicines in
very small developing nations.
