New research suggests antibiotic resistance and side effects can be addressed by reducing the duration of their use.
Scientists from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore) and Duke-NUS Medical School described the findings as a “game changer” for the treatment of certain conductions.
The study revealed that short-course antibiotics tailored to individual patients were just as effective as traditional longer treatments in preventing death and recurrence of pneumonia.
“By shortening the duration of antibiotics, we can reduce the risks of side effects and resistance without compromising patient outcomes,” principal investigator Dr Mo Yin said.
The study report, published in Lancet Respiratory Medicine, said the results could help patients, reduce health costs and combat the global threat of antimicrobial resistance.
The clinical trial examined over 450 patients across intensive care units (ICUs) in Singapore, Thailand and Nepal.
An accompanying economic analysis, published in Lancet Global Health found that short-course antibiotics offered significant value for healthcare systems.
“Short-course antibiotics can streamline treatment in ICUs, where managing infections efficiently is vital,” the report said.
“The approach is effective across high-income (Singapore), middle-income (Thailand), and low-income (Nepal) settings, making it a scalable solution for diverse healthcare systems.
“These results provide robust evidence including cost-effectiveness data for policymakers to adopt short-course antibiotics into national and institutional guidelines.”
The full report is on the National University of Singapore website.
