Ground-breaking Leeds trial could improve patient care

The majority of patients recorded as having a penicillin allergy may not be truly allergic to the antibiotic, a first-of-its-kind trial suggests.

- by Harriet Sutton

Those with the marker on their medical records could benefit from tests to confirm or rule out an allergy, according to researchers.

Removing incorrect labels could help improve care for patients while tackling antibiotic resistance and saving money for the NHS, they said.

For the Alabama trial, published in the Lancet Primary Care and led by the University of Leeds, researchers recruited 823 patients from 51 GP practices in England.

Those taking part had no history of severe reactions to penicillin.