People in the Black Country are being asked to check their medicine cabinets and return any unused or expired antibiotics to their local pharmacy, as part of a national amnesty. The campaign runs alongside this week’s World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, and aims to tackle the issue of antimicrobial resistance.
When antibiotics are used the wrong way, like not finishing a prescribed course or taking tablets leftover from a previous illness, bacteria can become resistant to them. This means that antibiotics stop working properly and infections become harder – or even impossible – to treat. If resistance continues to grow, common infections could become life-threatening, routine surgeries and treatments like chemotherapy could become much riskier, and more people could get seriously ill or die from infections that were once easy to treat. Even throwing antibiotics in the bin or down the sink can cause problems, as they can end up in the environment and contribute to antimicrobial resistance.
Councillor Obaida Ahmed, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Community, said: "We need everyone to do their bit in the fight to keep antibiotics working – whether they are patients, the public, or healthcare professionals. Returning unused or expired antibiotics to pharmacies plays a vital role in tackling antimicrobial resistance, which reduces the effectiveness of these medicines over time. This is a simple action that benefits everyone, and so we’re encouraging residents to return any leftover antibiotics to their local pharmacy – not just during World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, but throughout the year.”
She added: “It’s also important to remember that antibiotics must be used responsibly – you should only take them when advised to do so by a healthcare professional, and please complete the full course of any prescription you are given. Also remember that you should never dispose of antibiotics in the bin, or by flushing them down the toilet or sink.”
Last week, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published a report looking at resistant infection rates and antibiotic prescribing patterns. Data showed that around one in five, or 20.82% of, serious infections in the West Midlands region were estimated to be resistant to antibiotics – a slight increase on the previous year’s figure of 20.39%. Also concerning was the increase in consumption of antibiotics in secondary care in the region, with a rise of 8.5% from 2023 to 2024.
Sarah Smith, UKHSA West Midlands Consultant in Health Protection leading on AMR, said: “The increase in antibiotic-resistant infections in the West Midlands region shows we cannot be complacent. Antibiotic resistance remains one of the greatest health threats we face. The increase in antibiotic use we have seen in our region needs addressing, particularly the rise of 8.5% antibiotic consumption in secondary care from 2023 to 2024. We are working closely with healthcare partners across the region to ensure antibiotics are only used when absolutely necessary. I urge everyone in the West Midlands region to play their part in tackling antibiotic resistance. Only take antibiotics if you have been told to do so by a healthcare professional. Do not save some for later or share them with friends and family. If you have leftover antibiotics, please bring them to a pharmacy for appropriate disposal.
"It is also important to take up the vaccinations you are eligible for, to help stop infections in the first place. By working together, we can reverse this upward trend.”
