THE FIGHT BACK! BY DAVID HOROWITZ

Rising Cost Of Antibiotics

        Americans are spending more and more money to fight one of the
most  common ailments among young children -- ear infections. Almost
every child gets an  ear infection at one time or another, and for one
child in six, such infections are chronic  and prolonged.
        For years, pediatricians prescribed common, inexpensive
antibiotics to treat  these infections, usually penicillin or
ampicillin. These older drugs typically cost  between $3 and $4 for
each prescription. But then, doctors noticed that these drugs  weren't
killing the germs that caused the infection. The bacteria had become
resistant  to penicillin and ampicillin.
        According to a recent article in the Journal of the American
Medical Association,  more and more physicians are now prescribing
newer and more costly broad- spectrum antibiotics for persistent ear
infections. And that has raised the cost of  treatment dramatically.
        At current prices, a typical prescription of Suprax costs about
$38. Drugs like  Augmentin and Celclor are even more expensive -- they
retail for between $65 and  $70 for enough to treat the average child's
ear infection.
        But the high cost of these drugs isn't the only concern. If the
bacteria that cause  ear infections can become resistant to the older
drugs, they can also develop  resistance to the newer ones. And there
are some signs that this may be happening.  What doctors fear now is
the emergence of some new strain of germ that is immune to  every
antibiotic on the market, regardless of the cost.
        This concern has moved many pediatricians to take a more
conservative  approach to prescribing antibiotics for common infections
such as colds, which in  many cases, will clear up on their own. They
are also counseling their patients more  carefully about how to take
such drugs.
        That includes making sure patients don't quit taking their
prescriptions as soon  as they begin feeling better. It's important
that they complete the course of treatment so  that the invading
bacteria are killed and not allowed to mutate, become resistant and
bring on the infection again.
        One hopeful sign in the battle against children's ear
A study was conducted on the use of  tympanostomy tubes, which are
implanted in the child's eardrum to equalize pressure  and allow
drainage inside the inner ear. These small tubes can relieve infection
and  prevent permanent hearing loss, they require surgery to implant,
which means  considerable discomfort for the child.
        A study of 65,000 children who had these tubes implanted showed
that, in 58  percent of those cases, the procedure was either
unnecessary or borderline and that  treatment with antibiotics would
probably have achieved the same result. As a result of  that study,
federal guidelines now advise doctors to wait and watch before
resorting to  surgical implants. If the infection persists, then the
tubes may be employed.
        By changing this procedure from a first response to a last
resort, thousands of  children will now be spared the pain, and their
parents spared the expense, of a  surgical operation.
        If you have any questions or comments, please write to David
Horowitz in the  Consumer Forum+ (go FIGHTBACK). COPYRIGHT 1995
CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.