Nearly half of UK adults have been prescribed antibiotics for a sore throat, according to new research from anaesthetic throat spray, Ultra Chloraseptic.

The OnePoll Omnibus survey of 1,000 parents revealed that one in five people had asked their GP to prescribe antibiotics for a sore throat and one in seven thought that doctors were wrong to refuse them. Nearly half of respondents (46 per cent) had been prescribed antibiotics for a sore throat at some point, while 30 per cent had been advised to use antibiotic lozenges, despite the fact that the vast majority of sore throats are caused by viral infections, which do not respond to antibiotics.

Dr Paul Stillman, who is a GP, commented: “In the vast majority of cases there is absolutely no need to use antibiotics and every reason to avoid using them. But it is not that long ago that antibiotics were routinely prescribed for sore throats and unfortunately there are still far too many patients who demand them.”