Abstract
This chapter is about tracing linkages between pharmaceutical incentivisation, antibiotic prescribing, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR has now become a critical global health challenge, as due to drug-resistant bacteria there could be a significant burden of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While there are several factors that contribute to the misuse of antibiotics, profit-led prescribing - a practice which arises when physicians prescribe medications to meet pharmaceutical targets without considering patients’ well-being - can be a significant source of antibiotic consumption in LMICs like Pakistan. In this chapter, we attempt to conceptualise profit-led prescribing, explore the reasons behind physicians’ engagement in it, and highlight how this practice may be contributing to AMR. Finally, we propose actions that may potentially be useful to address pharmaceutical incentivisation to physicians which may further lead to a reduction in antibiotic prescribing in Pakistan.
| Original language | English (UK) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Elgar Companion to Health and the Sustainable Development Goals |
| Publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. |
| Pages | 361-372 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781803927244 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781803927237 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2025 |
Keywords
- Antibiotic prescribing
- Antimicrobial resistance
- Antimicrobials
- Drug regulation and governance
- Pharmaceutical incentivisation