Germany: Dispensed quantities of antibiotics in veterinary medicine increased slightly
In Germany, the number of antibiotics prescribed in veterinary medicine increased moderately in 2020. According to the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), veterinarians received 701 tons of antibiotics, which is 31 tons higher than the previous year. Antibiotics were prescribed at a 59% lower rate in 2012 than in 2011, the first year of data collecting. Fluoroquinolones, which are especially essential for human medicine, grew slightly in quantity in 2020. On the other hand, colistin, a polypeptide antibiotic, has dropped to its lowest level since 2011.
In the year 2020, pharmaceutical firms and distributors distributed 701 tons of antibiotics to veterinarians in Germany. Penicillins and tetracyclines, like in previous years, were detected in the highest concentrations, 278 tons and 148 tons respectively. Following, quantities of sulfonamides that were found were 65 tons, macrolides were 61 tons, and the quantities of polypeptide antibiotics were 60 tons. When compared to the previous year, the total quantity of fluoroquinolones discharged rose by 0.4 tons which is 6.7%. Despite the small increase, it was still much lower than it was in the beginning point in 2011. Polypeptide antibiotics, on the other hand, were down year over year for 9.2%. They are among the active components approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) as active ingredients of special relevance for treatment in humans, along with third and fourth generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, and macrolides. Between 2011 and 2020, cephalosporins of the third and fourth generations had a decline of 2.2 tons (-63.4%), whereas polypeptide antibiotics saw a reduction of 67 tons (53%). In 2020, there was a 3.7 tons (6.4%) rise over the previous year, but an overall decline of 112 tons (64.9%) for the recorded period.
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