95 Percent of Penicillin Allergy Diagnoses May Be Wrong, Study Finds

A study spanning 8 countries found that about 1 in 10 people diagnosed with penicillin allergies do not have it.
95 Percent of Penicillin Allergy Diagnoses May Be Wrong, Study Finds
Braxton Kimura shows his EpiPens at home in San Jose, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2025. AP Photo/Terry Chea
|Updated:
0:00

About one in 10 people who believe they are allergic to penicillin are not, according to new international research suggesting that most allergy labels recorded in hospitals are incorrect.

The study, led by the University of Melbourne and published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, found that 95 percent of patients who reported a penicillin allergy were able to safely take the antibiotic after testing.