Uso del ceftriaxone in italia: inappropriato e non esente da rischi

In Italy, data concerning the utilization of ceftriaxone in adults and children increased by about 75% from 2001 to 2008. Moreover, a significant variability in its utilization can be observed in the Italian regions, indeed it is more frequently used in the South than in the North of Italy. The data on the overall utilization and the regional variability seem to indicate an inappropriate use of the drug within the territorial medical practice. In particular, ceftriaxone is used in home treatments in 2.4 % of children in paediatric age. Considering that in ambulatory paediatrics just few cases need to be treated with ceftriaxone, this percentage turns out to be very high. Projects aiming at rationalizing the use of drugs that are inappropriately prescribed via parenteral route in the ambulatory setting are urgently needed.