Antibiotic medicinal products | Italian Medicines Agency Aifa toggle bar Search Search keywords The Agency The Agency Mission and values Organisation Scientific and Economic Committee for Medicines Support and Coordination Secretariats and Advisory Committees International Collaborations EU Projects Legislation Forms Competition notices Resolutions Tenders and contracts Quality assurance Guarantee Committee Atti di notifica Associazioni dei pazienti AIFA Incontra Contacts Certified email COVID-19 COVID-19 Communications about COVID-19 COVID-19 Vaccines Medicines usable for treatment of COVID-19 disease Use of monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 Use of antivirals for COVID-19 Monitoring of medicinal products used during the COVID-19 epidemic Clinical Trials - COVID-19 Compassionate Use Programs - COVID-19 Access to medicinal products Access to medicinal products Early access and off-label use Authorisation of medicinal products Medicine shortages Antibiotic medicinal products Biological medicinal products Vaccines Blood derivatives Generic medicinal products Biosimilar medicinal products Orphan medicinal products Advanced therapies Homeopathic medicinal products Allergens Medicinali di origine vegetale Ancillary medicinal substances incorporated in medical devices Safety of medicinal products Safety of medicinal products Pharmacovigilance National Pharmacovigilance Network Adverse Reactions to medicinal products Persons in charge of Pharmacovigilance European Eudravigilance System Accesso alle segnalazioni - ADRreports Regional pharmacovigilance funds Segnali di sicurezza Risk management measures Medicinal products subject to additional monitoring Quality and Inspections Quality and Inspections Quality defects Inspections and authorisations Qualified person Fight of pharmaceutical crime Research and Clinical trials Research and Clinical trials Clinical trials concerning medicinal products EU Regulation on Clinical trials National Observatory on Clinical Trials Registro Studi Osservazionali Comitati Etici Nazionali (CEN) Ethics Committees Coordination Centre Independent clinical research Mappa dei centri di Sperimentazione Clinica Pricing and reimbursement Pricing and reimbursement Negotiation and reimbursement Economic evaluations Monitoring Registers AIFA Notes Lists of Class A and Class H medicinal products Innovative medicinal products Transparency Lists Consumption and pharmaceutical expenditure Consumption and pharmaceutical expenditure The Medicines Utilization Monitoring Centre (OsMed) Governance of pharmaceutical expenditure Monitoring pharmaceutical expenditure Innovation and planning Innovation and planning Innovation and scientific advice Horizon scanning Information and communication Information and communication FarmaciLine Medical and scientific information FAQ Publications Communication campaigns Eventi AIFA Scientific Seminars Press releases Dossier AIFA Mobile APP AIFA APP Firstline AIFA - Antibiotici ABC della Ricerca Clinica Presentations and speeches Public consultations and documents Documents shared with scientific communities Calendario eventi Archivio AIFA data AIFA data OsMed Data Open Data Companies Section Companies Section Requests for authorisation of conferences and meetings Payment of fees and annual duties MA Electronic invoicing Application for reimbursement and pricing Access information Notifica concessionari di vendita Comunicazione prima commercializzazione Open governance Open governance Disposizioni Generali Organizzazione Consulenti e collaboratori Personale Bandi di Concorso Performance Enti controllati Attività e procedimenti Provvedimenti Bandi di gara e contratti Sovvenzioni, contributi, sussidi, vantaggi economici Bilanci Beni immobili e gestione patrimonio Controlli e rilievi sull'Amministrazione Servizi Erogati Pagamenti dell'Amministrazione Opere pubbliche Pianificazione e governo del territorio Informazioni ambientali Interventi straordinari di emergenza Altri Contenuti Antibiotic medicinal products Antibiotics Antibiotics are a group of medicines that can, with different mechanisms of action, prevent the development of bacteria. They are therefore essential for the treatment of bacterial infections. Since their introduction, antibiotics have contributed significantly to population health improvement. These medicines should be used only under prescription of a physicians and it is essential that they are taken for as long as necessary and at prescribed doses exclusively for the treatment of bacterial infections. Conversely, their use is inappropriate for the treatment of diseases caused by other infectious agents (viruses, fungi, protozoa), unless there is a risk identified by a specialist of complications due to overlapping bacterial infections. Unfortunately, their excessive and inappropriate use in humans and animals is contributing dramatically to accelerating the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance, the natural process by which bacteria become resistant to those antibiotics that were once able to defeat them. These bacteria many humans and the infections they cause are harder to treat. Bacterial resistance and in particular multi-resistance (resistance of a bacterium to 4 or more medicines belonging to different classes of antibiotics) is a global public health concern, as it results in increased mortality, prolonged hospital stays and high healthcare costs. A recent study by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reports that in 2015, in the European Union and the European Economic Area, there were 671,689 cases of infection due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, estimated to cause 33,110 deaths, one third of which occurred in Italy, highlighting the seriousness of the problem in our country. The study also revelas that antibiotic-resistant infections are widespread across all population groups, but mostly affect extreme age groups. These antibiotic-resistant infections were associated in 75 % of with healthcare, confirming the need to intervene through law enforcement especially in treatment environments. Data compiled by ECDC networks, the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) and the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption Network (ESAC-Net), which provide reference data on antimicrobial resistance and consumption in the European Union, also confirm the seriousness of the threat of antibiotic resistance in Europe, calling for urgent and effective measures. Italy is among the European countries with the highest consumption (although the tremd has been decreasing in recent years) and with the highest rates of resistance and multi-resistance. The increase in resistance, encouraged by misuse and abuse of antibiotics, can only be effectively tackled through a global approach – one health – promoting interventions aimed at responsible use of these medicines in all areas. Strategies for control and prevention of antibiotic resistance require coordination at European and global level, but also national plans adapted to local conditions. For this reason, Italy has adopted a first National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (PNCAR) 2017-2020 which, in line with WHO’s indications, provides for, among others, the implementation of a surveillance system of antibiotic consumption both in human and in veterinary fields. The “National report on antibiotic use in Italy 2017”, which provides data on consumption and expenditure of this category of medicine at national and regional level, is made available in this Section, as a contribution to monitoring activities provided for in the PNCAR. La resistenza dei batteri agli antibiotici La resistenza dei batteri agli antibiotici Gli antibiotici hanno contribuito a migliorare in modo significativo la salute della popolazione. Il loro uso eccessivo e inappropriato negli uomini e negli animali sta però contribuendo ad accelerare drammaticamente il fenomeno dell’antibiotico-resistenza, il processo naturale per cui i batteri divengono resistenti a quegli stessi antibiotici che una volta erano in grado di sconfiggerli.  I batteri resistenti possono infettare l’uomo causando infezioni più difficili da trattare. La resistenza dei batteri agli antibiotici e, in particolare, le multi-resistenze (resistenza di un batterio a 4 o più farmaci appartenenti a classi diverse di antibiotici) rappresentano un problema di salute pubblica molto rilevante a livello globale, in quanto causano un incremento della mortalità, degenze ospedaliere prolungate e costi sanitari elevati. Il contesto italiano e il PNCAR L’Italia è tra i Paesi europei con i maggiori consumi e con i tassi più elevati di resistenza e multi-resistenza (resistenza di un batterio ad almeno quattro antibiotici di classi diverse). L’aumento delle resistenze può essere contrastato efficacemente solo attraverso un approccio globale - one health - che promuova interventi per l’uso responsabile di questi farmaci in tutti gli ambiti. Le strategie per prevenire e controllare le resistenze agli antibiotici richiedono un coordinamento a livello europeo e mondiale, ma anche piani nazionali in grado di fronteggiare le specifiche situazioni locali. Per tale ragione, l’Italia si è dotata del primo Piano Nazionale di Contrasto dell’Antimicrobico-Resistenza (PNCAR) 2017-2020 - a cui è seguito il PNCAR 2022-2025 - che, in coerenza con le indicazioni dell’OMS, prevede tra gli ambiti di intervento la sorveglianza dei consumi degli antibiotici sia nel settore umano che veterinario. Dal 2019 i rapporti nazionali OsMed "L’uso degli antibiotici in Italia" forniscono dati di consumo e spesa di questa categoria di farmaci a livello nazionale e regionale, contribuendo così alle attività di sorveglianza dei consumi degli antibiotici in ambito umano previste dal PNCAR. L'uso degli antibiotici - Rapporti OsMed EXPAND ALL Related documents Dossier stampa AIFA su consumo antibiotici e antibiotico-resistenza - 18/11/2024 [0.69 Mb] [PDF] > Scheda sull'uso degli antibiotici in Italia - dati 2023 - NEW [0.71 Mb] [PDF] > Piano Nazionale di Contrasto dell’Antimicrobico-Resistenza (PNCAR) 2022-2025 [2.04 Mb] [PDF] > Antibiotics Glossary [0.44 Mb] [PDF] > Fact cheking antibiotics [1.45 Mb] [PDF] > Link correlati - NEW Report ECDC sul consumo degli antimicrobici in Europa nel 2024 Report ECDC sull'antimicrobico-resistenza in Europa nel 2024 Sorveglianza dell'antimicrobico-resistenza in Europa nel 2024 World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2025 AIFA Communications campaigns App Firstlie AIFA Antibiotici Cosa sapere sugli antibiotici fluorochinolonici Campagna sull'uso consapevole degli antibiotici 2022 I podcast di AIFA - Antibiotici: usali meglio, usali meno (episodio 2) Manuale antibiotici AWaRe Edizione italiana del “The WHO AWaRe Antibiotic Book” [8.18 Mb] [PDF] > Related news 10/04/2026 L'uso degli antibiotici in Italia - Rapporto Nazionale anno 2024 18/11/2025 Today is European Antibiotic Awareness Day: European and national data, AIFA’s commitment 04/03/2025 An AIFA “traffic-light” app to promote the appropriate use of antibiotics 19/11/2024 World Antibiotic Awareness Week is kicking off 17/06/2024 AIFA publishes the Report "The use of antibiotics in Italy - 2022" 16/11/2023 AIFA initiatives for the World AMR Awareness Week 03/04/2023 AIFA publishes the Report "The use of antibiotics in Italy - 2021" 19/01/2023 Latest initiatives to reduce antibiotic resistance in Italy presented All news Access to medicinal products Early access and off-label use Authorisation of medicinal products Medicine shortages Antibiotic medicinal products Biological medicinal products Vaccines Blood derivatives Generic medicinal products Biosimilar medicinal products Orphan medicinal products Advanced therapies Homeopathic medicinal products Allergens Medicinali di origine vegetale Ancillary medicinal substances incorporated in medical devices Share Spot Ossini antibiotici 2024 Campagna sull'uso consapevole degli antibiotici 2024 Nested Applications Highlights 21/04/2026 - Medicine Use: 2024 Regional Reports Now Available Online 17/04/2026 - From one-size-fits-all treatments to personalised care: the revolution in precision medicine TUTTE LE NEWS - IN EVIDENZA ALL NEWS News 21/04/2026 Medicine Use: 2024 Regional Reports Now Available Online 15/04/2026 AIFA updates the Transparency Lists 13/04/2026 Medicine Shortage Communication on Endoxan (ciclofosfamide) All news Nested Applications Press From one-size-fits-all treatments to personalised care: the revolution in precision medicine All press releases Last tweets 📢 #AIFA comunica il calendario degli incontri nell’ambito delle iniziative dedicate al dialogo e al... 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