- Half of Respondents Incorrectly Believe Leftover Antibiotics Can Be Saved
                               and Used Again
      - Improper Use of Antibiotics Associated with Treatment Failure,
Deterioration of Health, Additional Doctor Visits and Antibiotic Resistance
   - Experts Advocate Tailored Education Campaigns to Address Reasons Why
                People Don't Take Antibiotics as Prescribed

    NICE, France, April 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A global survey of
4,500 people in 11 countries who reported taking an antibiotic within the
past 12 months found many people were concerned about antibiotic resistance
but fewer understood how improper use of antibiotic medications contributes
to the problem. Based on these results, the international committee of
health experts overseeing the survey called for tailored antibiotic
education campaigns to address underlying country and cultural differences
that contribute to improper use of antibiotics.
    Preliminary results from the COMPLy (COmpliance, Modalities by
Population, Lifestyle and Geography) survey were presented at the European
Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Among the
initial reported findings, eight out of ten people surveyed reported
antibiotic-resistant germs are a very serious problem, but only six in ten
believed that taking an antibiotic improperly may reduce its effectiveness
the next time it is used.
    Twenty-two percent of respondents admitted being noncompliant with
their last antibiotic treatment - with greater than a 30 percent
noncompliance rate in some countries. Patients were considered noncompliant
if they reported skipping treatment days or doses, or if they had leftover
antibiotics despite being specifically instructed to take them until they
were gone. Half of all respondents believed leftover antibiotics could be
saved and used again, and nearly three-quarters (73%) of those who had
leftover antibiotics said they saved them.
    "COMPLy demonstrates that while many people understand antibiotic
resistance is an important global problem, far fewer appreciate the impact
noncompliance has on the development of resistance and their personal
health," said Professor Jean-Claude Pechere, Department of Genetics and
Microbiology, University of Geneva, and COMPLy steering committee chair.
"This important survey offers new, detailed information which will enable
health care professionals and the public to take action to improve
antibiotic compliance, aiding the fight against antibiotic resistance."
    Noncompliance with antibiotic therapy can lead to antibiotic resistance
and is associated with treatment failure and its consequences, including
deterioration of health, admission to hospital and additional costs. A
recent double-blind, two-year, multicenter study of 2,188 children with
pneumonia reported that noncompliance with antibiotics was one of the most
important factors that predicted treatment failure.
    Antibiotic resistance is considered one of the world's most pressing
public health concerns. Bacteria become resistant in several different
ways, all of which involve changes to the bacteria's genetic material.
Repeated and improper use of antibiotics are two of the main causes of the
increase in resistant bacteria. Resistant infections can result in
increased illness, death and health care costs, according to the World
Health Organization.
    "COMPLy provides insight into patient behaviors and attitudes that
impact compliance," added Giuseppe Cornaglia, associate professor in the
Department of Pathology, University of Verona, president-elect of the
European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, and
steering committee member. "Many patients forget to take medication or
interrupt their treatment when they begin to feel better, creating an ideal
environment for bacteria to adapt rather than be killed."
    The COMPLy study found that the rate of noncompliance was associated
with age. Younger patients were much less likely to be compliant than older
patients. Noncompliance among those 18 - 29 was twice as high (30%)
compared to those 60 and older (14%). The dosage regimen of antibiotic was
also a significant predictor of compliance. For example, people were more
likely to be noncompliant when taking more doses per day, with 15 percent
noncompliance among patients taking one dose per day compared to 27 percent
among those taking three or more doses per day.
    Members of the COMPLy steering committee recommend that results of the
survey be used to shape noncompliance education campaigns around the world.
The survey results suggest education efforts be tailored to address varying
compliance rates by country and differences in patient attitudes toward
antibiotics and health care professionals. For example, a
country-by-country analysis suggests misperceptions about appropriate
antibiotic use is the major factor driving noncompliance in some countries,
while in other countries lack of faith in doctor's abilities and worry
about doctor's abilities to manage their illness may be a more important
factor.
    About the COMPLy (COmpliance, Modalities by Population, Lifestyle and
Geography) Study
    The Gallup Organization fielded COMPLy during the fall of 2005. A
combination of phone and in-person interviews was conducted with 4,500
subjects in 11 countries: Brazil, China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the
Netherlands, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, and the United
States. Those interviewed were 18 or older and had taken a
self-administered antibiotic within the past 12 months.
    COMPLy was led by an international steering committee composed of
world- class experts dedicated to the fight against antibiotic resistance,
including:
     - Jean-Claude Pechere, steering committee chair, Department of Genetics
       and Microbiology, University of Geneva, Switzerland
     - Giuseppe Cornaglia, president-elect ESCMID, Department of Pathology,
       University of Verona, Italy
     - Dyfrig Hughes, chair of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics
       and Outcomes Research economics of compliance working group, Centre for
       the Economics of Health, University of Wales
     - Przemyslaw Kardas, Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of
       Lodz, Poland

    The study was supported by Pfizer.

    Pfizer's Commitment to Anti-Infectives
    While many pharmaceutical companies have reduced or eliminated funding
for anti-infective research, Pfizer remains committed to the discovery and
development of novel anti-infectives to treat hospital-based and community-
acquired infections.
    As part of the company's ongoing commitment to continuously understand
the anti-infective market, Pfizer has funded COMPLy, the first patient
survey of its kind to quantify noncompliance rates with antibiotics
globally.

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CONTACT:
Daniel Watts, Office: +1-212-733-5574, Cell:
+1-346-563-1294, for Pfizer Inc

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