Spain implements deferred antibiotic prescriptions to combat resistance

Spain is implementing a deferred antibiotic prescription strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance. Under the National Plan against Antibiotic Resistance (PRAN), the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Products (Aemps) is working with autonomous communities to encourage patients to wait 48 to 72 hours before starting treatment for certain mild respiratory infections. This allows time to see if symptoms improve naturally, reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics for viral infections.

By mid-2027, the strategy will be complemented by a change in packaging, replacing 30-unit boxes with 20-unit formats for common antibiotics.

In terms of pharmaceutical economics, data from 2025 shows that paracetamol was the most dispensed medication in the Spanish public health system, with over 61 million units. Other highly prescribed drugs included omeprazole and metamizole. In Galicia, a report from the Consello de Contas highlighted that just 20 medications accounted for 27% of hospital pharmaceutical spending in 2023, noting that price variations between health areas for the same drugs could lead to potential savings of approximately 2 million euros.