Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content
Home

Header Top Menu

  • Careers
  • Investors
  • News
    • Press Release Archive
    • Press Statements
    • Podcasts
      • The Antigen Podcast
      • Get Science Podcast
      • Diverse Perspectives Podcast
      • menopause: unmuted
      • Hemcast
    • Contact Media Relations
    • Press Kits & Downloads
      • Company Press Kit
      • Pfizer Oncology Press Kit
      • PSA Narrative
      • RA NarRAtive
      • Rare Disease Gene Therapy Press Kit
      • ATTR-Amyloidosis Press Kit
      • UC Narrative
      • Eczema Inside Out Press Kit
  • Partners
    • Discovery to Pre-candidate
      • Focus Areas
        • Therapeutic Areas
          • Internal Medicine
          • Inflammation and Immunology
          • Oncology
          • Rare Disease
          • Vaccines
        • Therapeutic Modalities and Technology Platforms
          • Drug Safety
          • Gene Therapy
          • Target Sciences
          • Precision Medicine
          • Medicinal Sciences
            • Biologics Product & Process Development
            • Biotherapeutics Discovery
            • Medicine Design
            • Small Molecule Product & Process Development
        • Emerging Science
          • DNA Damage Response
          • Microsatellite Repeat Expansions
          • Senescence
      • Partnering Models
    • Candidate Through Commercialization
      • Focus Areas
        • Internal Medicine
        • Inflammation and Immunology
        • Oncology
        • Rare Disease
        • Vaccines
        • Hospital
    • Pfizer CentreOne
    • Pfizer Ventures
      • Our portfolio

Healthcare Professionals

  • Healthcare Professionals

Connect with Us

  • Connect with Us
    • Email
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy (NEW)
    • YouTube
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram
  • Your Health

    • Healthy Living
      • Brain & Nervous System
      • Cardiovascular Health
      • Cold & Flu
      • Digestive Health
      • Healthier Aging
      • Living Tobacco Free
      • Men’s Health
      • Mental Health
      • Nutrition & Fitness
      • Pediatric Health
      • Respiratory Health
      • Skin Health
      • Vaccines & Prevention
      • Women’s Health

    • Disease & Condition
      • Cancer
      • Cardiovascular Diseases & Conditions
      • Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders
      • Immune System Diseases & Conditions
      • Infections & Infectious Diseases
      • Neurological Diseases & Conditions
      • Menopause
      • Rare Disease
      • Vaccine-Related Conditions
      • Skin Diseases & Conditions
      • Atopic Dermatitis
      • Cardiovascular Disease
      • Severe Hypertriglyceridemia

    • Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

    • Managing your health
      • Caregiving
      • Evaluating Health Information
      • Tracking Your Health
      • Your Medicines
      • Health Literacy

    • Wellness
    Hot Topics

    Maintaining Emotional Well-Being During COVID-19

    Emotional Well-Being Tips for People Living with Chronic Inflammatory Conditions During COVID-19
  • Our Science

    • Driven to Discover the cure

    • Focus Areas
      • Internal Medicine
      • Inflammation & Immunology
      • Oncology
      • Rare Disease
      • Vaccines
      • Anti Infectives

    • Product Pipeline

    • Clinical Trials
      • Guide to Clinical Trials
      • Find a Trial
      • Expanded Access & Compassionate Use
      • Clinical Trials in Children
      • Partnering with Pfizer
      • Trial Data & Results
      • Research Integrity & Transparency
      • Diversity in Clinical Trials

    • R&D Platforms
      • Biosimilars
      • Gene Therapy
      • Medicinal Sciences
      • Precision Medicine
      • Maternal Immunization

    • Collaboration
      • Partner with Pfizer

    • Research sites

    • Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Scientific Resources
    HOT TOPICS

    MRNA VS. CONVENTIONAL VACCINES

    What Makes an RNA Vaccine Different From a Conventional Vaccine?
  • Our People

    • Meet The Experts
      • Scientists
      • Internal Medicine – Metabolic Disease
      • Inflammation & Immunology
      • Oncology
      • Rare Disease
      • Vaccines
      • Medical Professionals

    • The Journey

    • Leadership
      • Executives
      • Board Members
      • Company Fact Sheet

    • Diverse Perspectives
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Supplier Diversity
    HOT TOPICS

    Meet our new Chief Patient Officer, Dr. Dara Richardson-Heron

    dr_richardson_300x170.jpg

    Working Together to Empower Women

    VizagWomen_300x170.jpg

    • Hot Topics
  • Our Purpose

    • Commitment to Global Health
      • Expanding Access
      • Strengthening Health Systems
      • Providing Disaster & Humanitarian Relief
      • Unleashing the Power of Our Colleagues
      • Highlighting Individual Voices

    • Protecting People and the Environment
      • Pfizer's Green Journey
      • Product Stewardship
      • EHS Governance
      • EHS Supply Chain
      • Key Performance Indicators
      • Health & Safety
      • Human Rights

    • Positions on Health Policies
      • Ready for Cures
      • How does Pfizer price medicines?
      • Value of Medicines
      • Policy Positions
      • Creating Cures Through Facility Investments

    • Transparency
      • Working with Health Care Professionals
      • Transparency in Grants
      • Code of Conduct
      • Corporate Compliance
      • Sales and Marketing Compliance

    • Independent Grants
      • Competitive Grants Program
      • Independent Medical Education
      • Investigator Sponsored Research
      • Quality Improvement
      • COVID-19 Vaccine Grants

    • Contributions & Partnerships
      • Healthcare Charitable Contributions
      • Lobbying & Political Contributions
    HOT TOPICS

    Pfizer Women’s Resource Group

    Media Name: IWD_Pull_up_Banner_300x170.jpg

    • Hot Topics
  • Our Products

    • Product listing

    • How drugs are made
      • Branded vs. Generic
      • Biologics & Biosimilars
      • Commitment to Quality

    • Distributors
      • Pfizer Distributors
      • Greenstone Distributors

    • Medicine Safety
      • Reporting Adverse Events
      • Making Good Treatment Choices
      • Partnering With Patients
      • Health Literacy
      • Medicine Safety Tips for Patients
      • Counterfeiting
      • Unused Medicines

    • Safety Data Sheets

    • Medical Information Contacts

    • Pfizer Global Supply
    HOT TOPICS

    Universal vs. Single Payer Healthcare

    Media Name: universal_healthcare300x170.jpg
  • Careers

    • Working Here
      • Mission & Purpose
      • Culture
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Career Growth & Colleague Development
      • Compensation & Benefits
      • Ensuring Corporate Responsibility
    • Search Jobs
    • Student & Early Career
      • Postdoctoral Program
      • US Summer Student Worker Program
      • Opportunities for Veterans
    • Pfizer365.com
    • Our Hiring & Recruiting Process
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Tips for Interviewing at Pfizer
    • Connect With Us
  • Investors

    • Investors Overview
      • Why Invest / Our Story
      • Prospective Investors
      • Fact Sheet
    • Events & Presentations
    • Financials
      • Quarterly Reports
      • Annual Reports
      • SEC Filings
      • Interactive Data Filings
    • Investor News
    • Stock Information
      • Historical Price Lookup
      • Investment Calculator
      • Historical Stock Chart & Data
      • Dividend & Split History
      • Stock FAQs
    • Governance
      • Board Committees and Charters
      • The Pfizer Board Policies
      • Corporate Governance FAQs
      • Contact Our Directors
    • Shareholder Services
      • Stock FAQs
      • Advisory Information
      • Cost Basis Calculator
  • News

    • Contact Media Relations
    • Podcasts
    • Press Kits & Downloads
    • Press Release Archive
    • Press Statements
  • Partners
  • Footer links

    • Footer Aside Section1
      • CAREER-SEEKERS
      • INVESTORS
      • News & Media
      • Partners
    • Footer Aside Section 2
      • Healthcare Professionals
      • Business To Business
      • Change Region
      • Sitemap
    • Footer Aside Section3
      • Twitter
      • Facebook
      • Linkedin
      • Instagram
      • Youtube
    • Footer Aside Section4
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy

What You Need to Know about Antibiotic Resistance

What You Need to Know about Antibiotic Resistance
YOUR HEALTH/ What You Need to Know about Antibiotic Resistance
April 4, 2017

By Jay Purdy, MD, PhD; This article originally published on Get Healthy Stay Healthy.

What is Antibiotic Resistance?

Put simply, an antibiotic is a medication that will kill bacteria (or stop them from dividing) helping the body treat an infection. Antibiotic resistance occurs when an antibiotic loses its ability to stop bacterial growth and/or kill the bacteria. Because the bacteria continue to multiply despite the antibiotic, an infection can get worse even when taking an antibiotic. The more an antibiotic is used, the more likely resistance will develop.

Use of an antibiotic, including overprescribing and misuse, pushes bacteria to adapt and become resistant. For instance, after penicillin was first used to successfully treat a patient in 1942, large scale production began in 1944 and the first case of a penicillin resistant infection was found in 1947. Today, though many bacteria remain sensitive (meaning not resistant) to penicillin, many common bacteria are no longer sensitive, limiting the effective use of this first antibiotic. When common antibiotics no longer work, routine infections may become deadly. Some patients are more at risk for being infected with an antibiotic-resistant bacterium, such as those with end-stage kidney disease, cancer, and other conditions, but even healthy people are at risk. This is a growing problem in the U.S. and around the world. You may have heard of the antibiotic resistant bacteria called MRSA.

Antibiotic Resistance: a Public Health Concern

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the U.S., more than 2 million people are sickened every year with antibiotic-resistant infections, with at least 23,000 dying as a result.

Institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have committed to address this public health problem by focusing on measures to prevent infections, tracking resistant bacteria, saving our most advanced antibiotics for use in patients with resistant infections, and promoting the development of new antibiotics.

Are Infections Resistant to Antibiotics Still Treatable?

Fortunately, there are antibiotics that still work against most resistant bacteria. The key is seeing a doctor who can identify the problem and treat it appropriately. Treating infections with the correct antibiotics and tracking the healing of the infection can help to prevent serious complications from the infection from arising.

What Can You Do About Antibiotic Resistance?

According to research, up to 50% of all antibiotics prescribed have not been strictly needed or may not have been correctly taken as prescribed. To avoid antibiotic resistance, physicians are now trying to prescribe antibiotics more cautiously using them only when necessary. They are also trying to be more precise in using medicines that specifically target particular bacteria. Here are a few things you can do to help:
• Don’t take an antibiotic unless needed! Understand that colds are often caused by viruses, and most antibiotics target bacteria but not viruses. Taking an antibiotic that you don’t need increases the risk of antibacterial resistance development in bacteria that are on your skin or in your gastrointestinal tract that is resistant to that antibiotic putting you at higher risk of getting an infection with a resistant bacteria in the future. So, make sure a doctor has told you that you need an antibiotic! It’s OK to ask your doctor if they feel you really need an antibiotic and be sure never to pressure your doctor to give you antibiotic that they don’t think you need.
• When you are prescribed an antibiotic, take it exactly as prescribed*—this means finishing the entire course of medication, not missing doses or stopping when you start feeling better. When not taken as directed, the bacteria may have more of a chance to start growing again and become harder to treat.
• Do not take antibiotics or any medicines prescribed for someone else or prescribed to you for a different infection, as the antibiotic may not specifically target the infection that you have and it may be the wrong dose for you.

* If you think you experienced a medication adverse event, you should contact your healthcare provider and report it to FDA MedWatch (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Medwatch/default.htm)

Jay Purdy, MD, PHD is Senior Director in anti-infectives at Pfizer.

Visit Get Healthy Stay Healthy for more information on Your Health.

Related Hot Topics
Viral vs. Bacterial Pneumonia: Understanding the Difference
Viral vs. Bacterial Pneumonia: Understanding the Difference
eczema_stress_380X220.jpg
Eczema and Stress: What's the Link?
bacteria_amr_image300x170.jpg
Pfizer's Growing Leadership in AMR Recognized
Media Name: washing-hands-300x170px.jpg
How Clean Are Your Hands?
Connecting Patients to the Resources They Need
Connecting Patients to the Resources They Need
investing_in_community300x170.jpg
Investing in Community-Based Approaches against Infectious Diseases
fam_new-380X220.jpg
DEAR SCIENTIST, ATOPIC DERMATITIS KEEPS ME ITCHING NONSTOP. CAN YOU HELP ME AND…
Media Name: Trachoma-Tile_300x170.jpg
Traveling Nine Thousand Miles to Help End Trachoma
Tags
Antibiotics
Disease & Conditions
Infections & Infectious Diseases
Show
Hide

Footer menu

  • Your Health
    • Healthy Living
    • Disease Conditions
    • Manage Your Health
  • Our Science
    • Therapeutic Areas
    • Product Pipeline
    • Clinical Trials
    • R&D Platforms
    • Collaboration
    • Research SItes
  • Our People
    • Meet the Experts
    • The Journey
    • Leadership
    • Diverse Perspectives
  • Our Purpose
    • Commitment To Global Health
    • Positions on Health Policies
    • Transparency
    • Contributions & Partnerships
  • Our Products
    • Product Listing
    • How Drugs are Made
    • Distributors
    • Global Product Information Contacts

Footer aside

  • Footer Aside Section1
    • CAREER-SEEKERS
    • INVESTORS
    • News & Media
    • Partners
  • Footer Aside Section 2
    • Healthcare Professionals
    • Business To Business
    • Change Region
    • Sitemap
  • Footer Aside Section3
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Linkedin
    • Instagram
    • Youtube
  • Footer Aside Section4
    • Contact Us
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
Pfizer Logo Footer

Copyright © 2002-2021 Pfizer Inc. All rights reserved. This information—including product information—is intended only for residents of the United States.
The products discussed herein may have different labeling in different countries.