Norwegians used less antibiotics last year

Norwegians spend less antibiotics last year cancer medicinesDrugstore.Photo: Berit Roald / NTB scanpix

Norwegians used 4 percent less antibiotics in 2015 than in 2012, which is the year with the highest measured consumption. In all, 35.2 million daily doses were used last year, according to figures from the Pharmacy Association.

Last year the government introduced the aim of reducing the use of antibiotics by 30 percent by 2020. The use in Norway has increased in recent years and peaked in 2012 although there hasn’t been really any increase to speak of in the number of infections .
– Our figures show that Norway is on the right path, but forceful measures  are needed to achieve the target within the deadline . The decline from 2014 to last year was very modest,  CEO Per T. Lund of the Pharmacy Associatsion says.
It  35.2 million daily  doses of antibiotics were used in 2015, the equivalent of one  antibiotics cure lasting for one week per Norwegian.  The prescription Registry from previous years shows that just under 1.2 million Norwegians used antibiotics last year.
Østfold is the county where  most antibiotics were used last year,  with  the use 18 percent more than the national average. Neighboring county Akershus is the area where it is least used, the figures show.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today