GENEVA: The World Health Organisation published a new classification of antibiotics on Tuesday that aims to fight drug resistance, with penicillin-type drugs recommended as the first line of defence and others only for use when absolutely necessary.

The new “essential medicines list” includes 39 antibiotics for 21 common syndromes, categorised into three groups: “Access”, “Watch” and “Reserve”.

Drugs on the “Access” list have lower resistance potential and include the widely-used amoxicillin.

The “Watch” list includes ciprofloxacin, which is commonly prescribed for cystitis and strep throat but “not that effective”, WHO Assis­tant Director General for Health Systems and Innov­ation Marie-Paule Kieny told reporters.

Its use should be “dramatically reduced”, the WHO said.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2017