Benzathine Penicillin G for the Management of RHD: Concerns About Quality and Access, and Opportunities for Intervention and Improvement.

Abstract

Benzathine penicillin G is an important antibiotic for the treatment and prevention of group A streptococcal infections associated with rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. However, as rheumatic heart disease has receded as a public health priority in most high-income settings, attention to the supply, manufacture, and accessibility of benzathine penicillin G has declined. Concerns about the quality, efficacy, and innovation of the drug have emerged following plasma analysis and anecdotal reports from low-resource settings. This review collates core issues in supply and delivery of benzathine penicillin G as a foundation for concerted efforts to improve global quality and access. Opportunities for intervention and improvement are explored.

• Authors: Rosemary Wyber, Kathryn Taubert, Stephen Marko, Edward L Kaplan
• Journal: Global heart (Glob Heart) Vol. 8 Issue 3 Pg. 227-34 (Sep 2013) ISSN: 2211-8179 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 25690500 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2013 World Heart Federation (Geneva). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.