STREPTOP®   A Rapid Diagnostic Test: An effective solution in the fight of antibiotic resistance

700,000 people around the world die every year because of antibiotic resistance. By 2050, this figure could rise to 10 million (14 times more than now).1

A recent study published by the South African Medical Journal shows that “72% of respondents to a survey believed that antibiotic resistance is due to the human body’s increasing resistance to antibiotics and not the bacteria itself” that mutates and become resistant.2

South Africans are not the only ones, the World Health Organization (WHO) found similar results from a survey done across 12 countries where 76% of respondents thought the same thing.3

The belief that antibiotics treat viral infections is strongly integrated in people’s mind, to the extent that 75% of patients are still wrongly given antibiotics for viral infection.4-7

This is easy to blame the situation, but why doctors over prescribe antibiotics?

There are multiple factors that drive this behaviour:8

  • Pressure from the patient.
  • Fear of medical error.
  • Impression that it shortens duration of symptoms.
  • Longer consultation to convince patient not to take antibiotics.
  • Limitations of current diagnostic tools: lab test – delay in results & high cost.
  • No rapid diagnostic tools available to confirm the type of infection and exclude antibiotics prescription if need be.

One of the main reasons of inappropriate antibiotic use comes in treating throat infections. Streptococcus A, a bacterial infection is the cause of acute pharyngitis in only 15-30% of cases. However, antibiotics are prescribed, in up to 75% of the time!

In the fight of antibiotic resistance, Novexpharma has recently introduced an innovative rapid diagnostic test (STREPTOP® A test) in the South African market that is available to all healthcare practitioners (HCPs).

The STREPTOP® A test is a go-to solution to detect the presence of Streptococcus A from a throat swab within 5 minutes, in the comfort of your practice. Thus, confirming the need of antibiotics if the test is positive.9

With a high sensitivity*(94.4%) and specificity** (97.3%), STREPTOP® A test has been trusted for over 10 years in other countries around the world such as Finland, Spain or Switzerland.

Medicare clinics have been the pioneers in this change. Since November, patients coming with sore throat to their clinics are being tested to guide the pharmacist in their treatment regimen.

With the benefits of STREPTOP® A test, there is now no reason to delay testing and to take part in the antibiotic resistance fight.

Request your STREPTOP® A kit today from any pharmaceuticals wholesalers.

Empower by evidence, become an antibiotic guardian with STREPTOP® A test!

*Sensitivity: Ability of a test to be positive when an infection, a disease or an immunity is present (true positives).
**Specificity:  Ability of a test to be negative when an infection, disease or immunity is absent (true negatives).

For more information, contact Novexpharma at info@novexpharma.net.

References:

  1. CDP 2017 THE REVIEW ON ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE CHAIRED BY JIM O’NEILL MAY 2016
  2. Farley E, Van den Bergh D, Coetzee R, Stewart A, Boyles T. Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of antibiotic use and resistance among patients in South Africa: A cross-sectional study. S Afr Med J. 2018 Aug 28;108(9):763-77 doi: 10.7196/SAMJ.2018.v108i9.12933.
  3. World Health Organization. Antibiotic resistance: Multi-country public awareness survey. WHO.int. Published November 2015. Accessed August 1, 2019.
  4. Davis ME, Liu TL, Taylor YJ, et al. Exploring Patient Awareness and Perceptions of the Appropriate Use of Antibiotics: A Mixed-Methods Study. Antibiotics (Basel).2017 Oct 31;6(4). pii: E2 doi: 10.3390/antibiotics6040023.
  5. McCullough AR, Parekh S, Rathbone J, Del Mar CB, Hoffmann TC. A systematic review of the public’s knowledge and beliefs about antibiotic resistance. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2016 Jan;71(1):27-33. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkv310. Epub 2015 Oct 12.
  6. Schmidt ML, Spencer MD, Davidson LE. Patient, Provider, and Practice Characteristics Associated with Inappropriate Antimicrobial Prescribing in Ambulatory Practices. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2018 Mar;39(3):307-31 doi: 10.1017/ice.2017.263. Epub 2018 Jan 30.
  7. Van Dyk, J. Undercover researchers went into doctors’ rooms. You won’t believe what they found. March 2019. Available <https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/323/188855.html>. Accessed October 2019
  8. LE GRAND, D (2011) Thesis: Value of RDT for pharyngitis in general practice.
  9. STREPTOP® A test Package insert – Biosynex.