Prescription-Duration Patterns of Outpatient Macrolide Use in Participating Community Pharmacies in Tokyo, Japan: A 24-Month Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Macrolides are classified in the Watch group of the World Health Organization Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) classification and are prescribed for both acute infections and chronic respiratory diseases. Aggregate antimicrobial use indicators do not distinguish short- from extended-duration prescribing. This study characterized outpatient macrolide prescription-duration patterns using community pharmacy dispensing data.