Brussels, 20/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - During their plenary session on Tuesday 19 May, MEPs adopted by 637 votes in favour, 32 against, with 10 abstentions, a resolution in favour of safer healthcare.
MEPs criticised the negative repercussions stemming from the economic crisis on the respective national health budgets and called for member states to ensure that patient safety was not subsequently put in jeopardy.
The European Parliament is also proposing measures to ensure that antibiotics are used more responsibly include strictly prohibiting their use without prescription, implementing marketing practices designed to prevent conflicts of interest between producers and prescribers, and better information, monitoring and infection control.
Parliament is calling on the pharmaceutical companies to invest in new antimicrobial products and requests that the Commission creates a legislative framework to encourage the development of new antibiotics. MEPs also advocate a restricted use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine and state that this use should be limited to therapeutic treatments. (Isabelle Lamberty)