Table 1.
Dosing/Duration Information available from AHPRA recommended health practitioner medicines information sources
| Source | Approach | Example Amoxycillin (oral treatment dose) |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH) 7 | Structured as drug monographs within therapeutic classes providing: | Adult: Oral, 250–500 mg every 8 hours or 1 g tablet twice a day. Doses of 1 g every 8 hours may be used in severe infections, e.g. pneumonia. |
| • A generic dose range and frequency for the specified antibiotic but not usually a recommended duration | • Gonococcal infection: For confirmed non‐beta‐lactamase‐producing N. gonorrhoeae. Oral, 3 g single dose with probenecid | |
| • Dose and frequency and duration are listed only for a limited number of indications (e.g. for amoxicillin only two less common indications) | • Eradication of H. pylori: With clarithromycin, oral 1 g amoxycillin twice daily for 7 days OR With metronidazole, oral 500 mg amoxycillin 3 times daily for 14 days. | |
| Child: Oral, 15–25 mg/kg (max 500 mg) every 8 hours. For severe infections up to 30 mg/kg (max 1 g) every 8 hours can be used. | ||
| Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary and Handbook (APF) 13 | Drug (antibiotic) monographs listed alphabetically provide: | Common dosage range |
| • Only a ‘common dose range’ that includes a generic dose and frequency but for the specified antibiotic no recommended duration | Adult dose: OraL, 250–500 mg 8‐hourly or 1 g twice daily | |
| • Individual dose and frequency recommendations are not differentiated for common indications | Paediatric dose: Oral, 7.5–25 mg/kg 8‐hourly | |
| Product Information | Antibiotic monograph usually provides: | Amoxil brand: Dosage and administration: Normal Renal Function: Upper respiratory tract infections; genito‐urinary tract infections; skin and soft tissue infections. |
| (accessed as package insert or via tertiary information sources such as MIMS, AusDi) | • Microbiology sensitivity/resistance tables but these are not clearly linked to indication | Adults – 250 mg every eight hours. |
| • A list of indications for the specified antibiotic by broad organ system e.g. upper respiratory tract infections or skin and soft tissue infections rather than for specific indications e.g. bronchitis, UTI | Children (under 20 kg) – 20 mg/kg/day in equally divided doses every eight hours. | |
| • Tailored dose and frequencies for a subset of selected indications, however durations are not routinely specified. | In severe infections or those caused by less susceptible organisms, 500 mg every eight hours for adults and 40mg/kg/day in equally divided doses every eight hours for children may be needed. | |
| Lower respiratory tract infections. | ||
| Adults – 500 mg every eight hours. | ||
| Children (under 20 kg) – 40 mg/kg/day in equally divided doses every eight hours. | ||
| Urethritis, gonococcal. Adults – 3 g as single dose. | ||
| Acute, uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections in non‐pregnant adult female. Adults – 3 g as single dose. | ||
| eTherapeutic Guidelines (eTG) 6 | Information primarily classified by indication (not as individual drug e.g. antibiotic monographs) | Alphabetical Index for Amoxycillin by Therapeutic use retrieved > 25 individual indications |
| • Searching by name of drug leads to an index list of indicated uses (diagnoses), selection of an indication leads to information on ranked choice of drug, dose, frequency and duration | For example: | |
| • Information represents Australian guidelines for recommended therapy for each specified indication including individual antibiotic protocols (drug, dose, frequency and duration). | For Rhinosinusitis: If antibiotics are indicated, use: amoxycillin 500 mg (child: 15 mg/kg up to 500 mg) orally, 8‐hourly for 5–7 days | |
| • Information is based on evidence in literature and consensus expert recommendations on treatments of specific infections | For Acute Otitis Media – children with systemic features, use amoxycillin 15 mg/kg up to 500 mg orally, 8‐hourly for 5 days |