Finland antibiotic use in children declines as CNS drug use rises

A comprehensive study by Kela and the University of Tampere reveals significant shifts in prescription drug use among children under 18 in Finland between 2017 and 2025. The research shows a notable decline in antibiotic use, which dropped from 29.8% of children in 2017 to 23.7% in 2025. This decrease was particularly pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

While most common antibiotics like cephalexin, azithromycin, and sulfadiazine-trimethoprim saw substantial usage declines, the use of broad-spectrum amoxicillin-clavulanate did not decrease. Experts note that while the overall trend is positive, reducing broad-spectrum antibiotic use remains critical to combat antibiotic resistance.

In contrast to the decline in antibiotics, the study highlights a sharp increase in the use of drugs affecting the central nervous system, which saw the highest relative growth among all drug categories during the study period.