News release via Andrea Titus: “Two big updates from Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy’s [CDDEP] Extending the Cure project… First, ResistanceMap has released its first ever interactive visualizations on antibiotic use. The new maps show trends in outpatient prescribing across the United States over time, and viewers can sort data by geography (at the state level) and/or antibiotic class. You can check out the new visualizations in the “antibiotic use” module found here. The second is the introduction of the Drug Resistance Index (DRI). Termed a “Dow Jones for Drug Resistance” by Science magazine, the DRI aggregates resistance and antibiotic use patterns to assess and communicate overall trends in antibiotic resistance over time. Head over to BMJ Open for a demonstration of the tool…The CDC estimates that $1.1 billion is spent annually on unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for adult upper respiratory infections alone. These prescriptions also speed the development of resistance to important antibiotic therapies.”