Deaths linked to antibiotic-resistant superbugs rose 17% in England in 2024 | Drug resistance

The number of deaths linked to superbugs that do not respond to first-line antibiotics rose by 17% in England last year, according to official figures that raise concerns about the continued rise in antimicrobial resistance.

The figures, published by the UK Health Security Agency, also reveal a sharp increase in private prescriptions for antibiotics, of which 22% were dispensed by the private sector in 2024.

The rise in private prescribing is partly due to the Pharmacy First programme, a flagship policy of Rishi Sunak’s government which allows patients to be prescribed antibiotics for common illnesses without visiting a GP, raising questions about whether the change in prescribing patterns risks contributing to the rise in resistance.

“Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest health threats we face,” said UKHSA chief executive Professor Susan Hopkins. “More and more people are contracting infections that cannot be effectively treated with antibiotics. This puts them at higher risk of serious illness or even death, and our poorest communities are being hit hardest.”

The emergence of drug-resistant strains is an inevitable consequence of natural selection. Each time the drugs are used, they kill some insects, but the survivors multiply and are transmitted.

Limiting the use of antibiotics to when they are most needed is one of the most effective ways to combat the spread of resistance, which is predicted to cause up to 10 million deaths per year worldwide by 2050.

The latest surveillance data found that the number of antibiotic-resistant infections in 2024 equated to an average of almost 400 new cases reported per week.

Cases of bacteremia caused by antibiotic resistance – a potentially fatal infection where bacteria circulate in the blood – increased from 18,740 in 2023 to 20,484 in 2024, an increase of 9.3%. The estimated number of deaths of people with resistant infection increased from 2,041 in 2023 to 2,379 in 2024, an increase of 17%.

Antibiotic use in NHS primary care declined between 2019 and 2024, while private dispensing in community pharmacies more than doubled. Overall antibiotic use in primary care in the NHS and private sector increased by 10.7% over a five-year period.

“It is positive that we have seen antibiotic use decline in England in the NHS, but we need to go further, faster,” Hopkins said.

“Remember to only take antibiotics if told to do so by a healthcare professional. Do not save any for later or share them with friends and family. If you have any leftover antibiotics, please take them to a pharmacy for proper disposal.”

UKHSA data provides insight into the Pharmacy First programme, designed to enable GPs to deal with more complex health issues.

It can treat seven common conditions, including earaches, sinusitis, sore throat, infected insect bites and shingles, in pharmacies, which provide antibiotics in 45 to 85% of consultations depending on the condition being treated.

“While the increase in the supply of antibiotics through the Pharmacy First service is notable, it should be interpreted with caution and in the context of wider changes in the way patients access care,” the UKHSA report concludes. The service followed the guidelines set out by Nice for appropriate prescribing, it says.