Antibacterianos utilizados antes e durante o período de pandemia em uma farmácia comunitária: um olhar sobre a azitromicina.

Abstract

The indiscriminate use of antibacterials, raises great concerns for those who are tolerant, during the pandemic an increase in the use of these drugs, threatening the long-term resistance to this class of drugs. An outbreak of unknown pneumonia appeared in December 2019 in China, noting the original presence of a new Coronavirus, a zoonotic RNA-virus, single-stranded, with global dissemination, generating high rates of morbidity and mortality. Among the various drugs proposed to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection, azithromycin gained wide prescription. Given the above, this study aimed to carry out an analysis of azithromycin prescriptions, verifying the profile of azithromycin dispensing during the pandemic period. To this end, a cross-sectional, exploratory, quantitative and retrospective study was carried out, in which data collection was conducted by reviewing information available in prescriptions filed at the private community pharmacy, in the municipality of Caicó, Rio Grande do Norte. During the months of May, June and July, from 2019 to 2021, 185 prescriptions for azithromycin were dispensed. There was a predominance of females (n=99), and age range from 20 to 39 years (n=80). The recommended treatment time was 5 to 10 days (n=151), most prescriptions obtained drug associations with azithromycin (n=130), with the largest dispensation occurring in the year 2020 (n=85), and the largest monthly in July 2020 (n=44). Thus, it is concluded that, between the analyzed periods, there was an increase in azithromycin prescriptions in the years 2020 and 2021. This increase may be associated with the use of this drug for the treatment of respiratory infection caused by SARS-CoV-2. The rampant use of antibacterials during the pandemic period may have accelerated the increase in resistance of bacteria to antibacterial drugs, thus, the search for information for a more cautious prescription by health professionals becomes fundamental to minimize risks to the patient and promote the rational use of antimicrobials. The results found in this study may contribute to the development of effective strategies to minimize these effects.