Significant reduction in antibiotic prescription rates in Japan following implementation of the national action plan on antimicrobial resistance (2016-20): a 9-year interrupted time-series analysis.

BACKGROUND

Research on the effectiveness of Japan's national action plan on antimicrobial resistance, including among individuals with HIV, remains scarce.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the impact of policies on antibiotic prescription practices.

METHODS

Outpatient oral antibiotic prescription data from 2012 to 2020 were extracted from a national claims database comprising >98% of the Japanese population. Prescription rates were stratified according to antibiotic class, diagnosis and HIV status. An interrupted time-series analysis was performed to assess the impact of the national action plan.

RESULTS

An average of 129,989,400 prescriptions were issued annually (1024 per 1000 population-years). Between 2012 and 2020, the oral antibiotic prescription rate decreased by 54%. The prescription rate showed a significant downward trend post-intervention (additional annual reduction in incidence rate ratio, 0.889; 95% confidence interval, 0.889-0.990). However, broad-spectrum antibiotics (third-generation cephalosporins, macrolides and fluoroquinolones) remained prevalent, comprising 84.7% and 71.4% of prescriptions in 2012 and 2020, respectively. Antibiotic prescriptions during outpatient visits for pharyngitis, sinusitis, bronchitis and viral upper respiratory infections decreased significantly (rate ratios = 0.66, 0.76, 0.51 and 0.49, respectively). The antibiotic prescription rate was ∼2.5-fold higher in individuals with HIV than in those without.

CONCLUSIONS

Antibiotic prescription rates significantly decreased following the implementation of the national action plan. However, a sharp decline in 2020, likely due to the coronavirus disease pandemic, requires continued rebound monitoring. Reducing broad-spectrum oral antibiotic overuse remains a critical focus.