Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana warns against rising antibiotic resistance

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana has expressed concern over the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, a practice contributing to the alarming rise in antibiotic resistance.

Speaking to Citi News, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Samuel Ekow Donkoh, noted that resistance to antibiotics threatens the effectiveness of treatments for infections, raising costs, increasing mortality, and exposing patients to harsher side effects.

He stressed that with research and development into new antibiotics yielding limited results, safeguarding existing antibiotics is now a critical priority.

“When it comes to antimicrobial agents or antibiotics, to be more specific, we don’t have new ones coming out. R&D from big pharma or pharmaceutical companies are not yielding positive results for us. Even if we are to get new antibiotics to come out from the pipeline, they will be very, very costly. And therefore, there is a need for us to protect what we have. We need to safeguard the antibiotics we presently have.”

He further explained that resistance is not limited to humans.  Antibiotics administered to animals also contribute to cross-resistance, where humans indirectly ingest these agents through animal products like poultry and fish.

Pharm Donkoh urged veterinary officers and the animal industry to use antibiotics responsibly to curb this growing issue.

According to him, common practices such as failing to complete prescribed treatments, sharing leftover antibiotics, and self-medicating with antibiotics for conditions like colds, coughs, and diarrhoea worsen the problem.

He explained that these conditions often do not require antibiotics and can resolve with simpler remedies such as lozenges, cough suppressants, or rehydration solutions.

“These five common conditions can be managed without antimicrobial agents, but Ghanaians just want to use antimicrobial agents and antibodies when they have them. When they have flu or cold and it persists for a while, they think they need to get an antibiotic. When they don’t need it, when they have a cough, they think the best way to treat their cough is to put an antibiotic because it will help cure their condition very fast.”

As part of the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Federation of International Pharmacies (FIP), has initiated action plans to raise awareness and promote responsible antibiotic use.

The Society is calling on Ghanaians to adopt effective practices to protect existing antibiotics and combat the threat of antimicrobial resistance.