Annual amnesty for unused antibiotics to tackle drug-resistant bugs

Imperial staff and students will have an opportunity to hand over any unused antibiotics this week as part of an annual amnesty.

Researchers from one of the College’s Health Protection Research Units (HPRU) will be running drop off sessions at South Kensington and Hammersmith campuses as part of World Antibiotic Awareness Week.

The week-long event will take place from Monday 13 November as part of a campaign from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to raise awareness of the rise of bacterial infections that no longer respond to antibiotic treatment.

Staff and students are invited to drop off any unwanted antibiotics at the stands on each of the days, with the drugs disposed of by the HPRU in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance team.

Those surrendering antibiotics will also be given the chance to sign up to become an 'antibiotic guardian’ – an initial from Public Health England where people can help to tackle the problem by pledging to use the drugs correctly and sharing the message – and will be able to enter a prize draw for a chance to win £100 of Amazon vouchers.

Members of the HPRU will also be on hand to provide information about antibiotic resistance and give people the opportunity to play a number of games related to resistance.

Drug-resistant bugs

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem around the world, threatening global health and food security. It occurs when bacteria develop resistance to an antibiotic treatment, which may be caused by overuse of the drugs or improper prescribing – such as prescribing antibiotics for a viral infection.

The issue is a concern to health agencies around the world as growing numbers of infections – such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea, and salmonella – are becoming harder to treat as the antibiotics used to treat them become less effective.

Professor Alison Holmes, Director of the NIHR HRPU in Healthcare Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance, said: “Antibiotic resistance is a serious global threat and we are already seeing its impact first hand in the NHS.

"The amnesty is a great way to engage the public on what they can do to help prevent it and we are delighted that high street chemists are supporting this initiative which is also being run in the College, our associated Trust and by colleagues at the Science Museum”

As part of the awareness week Dr Enrique Castro-Sanchez, Lead Research Nurse at HRPU, will be taking part in a live Twitter chat at 3pm GMT on Tuesday 14 November through Infectious Disease Hub.

Disposing of old antibiotics

Staff and students will be able to surrender their unused or out of date antibiotics for safe disposal at the Sherfield Building on South Kensington campus and the Commonwealth Building at Hammersmith, between 12:00-13:30.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is also holding an antibiotics amnesty this month. People can hand in their unused or out of date antibiotics at any of the Trust’s Lloyds outpatient pharmacies based at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith and Hammersmith Hospital in Acton, until Wednesday 1 December.

Mark Gilchrist, consultant pharmacist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust said: “Antibiotics are a precious resource, the effectiveness of which is under threat from increasing bacterial resistance, creating one of the most significant threats to global patient safety.

He added: "We can all help to reduce antibiotic resistance by only taking antibiotics when they are prescribed. Antibiotics should never be saved for later or shared with others”

Members of the public can also hand in their antibiotics at their local high street pharmacy.