Antibiotics look like any other drugs - and that's a problem

"We surveyed households in several countries in Africa and Asia about when they last used an antibiotic, and where they got it from. We also asked people coming out of pharmacies whether they had been given an antibiotic, and if so, what it was for. It was difficult to get answers. Individuals often didn't know what they had been given, and their medicines often lacked labelling or information leaflets. People frequently confused painkillers and antibiotics - we saw antibiotics being used for completely unrelated muscle aches."

"Sometimes, language causes problems. In Vietnam, one word for antibiotics translates as 'capsule', even though other drugs are supplied as capsules and antibiotics come in other forms, too. In Mozambique and Ghana, the term 'red-yellow' is used, because that's the colour of some antibiotic capsules. But they don't all look like that."

"We asked a man working at a pharmacy in Ghana to show us the last antibiotic he sold. He gave us a blister pack of tramadol capsules - a painkiller. Even the people who are selling antibiotics don't always know."

"No, this is also an issue in high-income countries, particularly for generic drugs. Amoxicillin has been a generic for decades, and there are probably 30 ways it can look. I've asked audiences of infectious-disease specialists, who you'd assume would know, to identify an antibiot"

ABACUS studies antibiotic consumption in low- and middle-income countries by surveying households about when they last used an antibiotic and where it came from, and by interviewing people leaving pharmacies about whether they received an antibiotic and what it was for. Answers were difficult because individuals often did not know what they had been given and medicines frequently lacked labeling or information leaflets. People confused painkillers and antibiotics, including using antibiotics for unrelated muscle aches. Confusion can arise from language and naming, such as antibiotic terms translating to “capsule” or using color-based descriptions that do not match all antibiotic forms. Even pharmacy sellers may not know what they are selling, and the issue also affects high-income countries, especially with generics like amoxicillin that can look many different ways.

Read at Nature