Assessing the use of antibiotics and the burden of varicella in Belgium using a retrospective GP database analysis.

BACKGROUND: Varicella is a highly contagious infection that typically occurs in childhood. While most cases have a generally benign outcome, infection results in a considerable healthcare burden and serious complications may occur. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to characterize the burden of varicella in a real-world primary care setting in Belgium, including the rate of varicella-related complications, medication management and general practitioner (GP) visits. METHODS: The study was a retrospective observational study using data from a longitudinal patient database in a primary care setting in Belgium. Patients with a GP visit and a varicella diagnosis between January 2016 and June 2019 were eligible and data one month prior and three months after the diagnosis were included. Outcomes included varicella-related complications, antibiotic use, antiviral use, and GP follow-up visits. Antibiotic use could be specified by class of antibiotic and linked to a diagnosis. Complications were identified based on concomitant diagnosis with varicella during the study period. RESULTS: 3,847 patients with diagnosis of varicella were included, with a mean age of 8.4 years and a comparable distribution of gender. 12.6% of patients with varicella had a concomitant diagnosis of a varicella-related complication. During the follow-up period, 27.3% of patients with varicella were prescribed antibiotics, either systemic (19.8%) and/or topical (10.3%). The highest rate of antibiotic prescriptions was observed in patients with complications (63.5%) and in patients younger than 1 year (41.8%). Nevertheless, 5.3% of the patients were prescribed antibiotics without a concomitant diagnosis of another infection. The most commonly prescribed systemic antibiotics were amoxicillin alone or combined with beta-lactamase inhibitor, and thiamphenicol. Fusidic acid and tobramycin were the most prescribed topical antibiotics. Antivirals were prescribed for 2.7% of the study population. 4.7% of the patients needed a follow-up visit with their GP. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports a substantial burden of varicella in a primary care setting in Belgium, with high rates of complications and antibiotic use.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of rifaximin-α administration for the reduction of episodes of overt hepatic encephalopathy in recurrence compared with standard treatment in France.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome that occurs most often in a context of acute or chronic liver disease. Despite the seriousness of the pathology, only a few treatments have been developed for improving its management. Rifaximin-α is the first treatment that has been clinically developed for overt HE (OHE) episodes. Recent results of clinical studies demonstrated its significant improvement in the health-related quality of life. The objective of the current study was to estimate the long-term cost-effectiveness of rifaximin-α used in combination with lactulose compared with lactulose monotherapy in cirrhotic patients, who have experienced at least two prior OHE events. METHODS: A Markov model was used to estimate rifaximin-α cost-effectiveness, evaluating it from the perspective of all contributors as recommended by French health technology assessment guidelines. Costs were based on current French treatment practices. The transition between health states was based on the reanalysis of the rifaximin-α pivotal clinical trials RFHE3001 and RFHE3002. The main outcome of the model was cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY). RESULTS: The results indicate that rifaximin-α is a cost-effective treatment option with an incremental cost per QALY gained of €19,187 and €18,517 over two different time horizons (2 and 5 years). The robustness of the model was studied using probabilistic sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSION: For the societal willingness to pay threshold of €27,000 per QALY gained, rifaximin-α in combination with lactulose is a cost-effective and affordable treatment for patients who have experienced at least two prior overt HE episodes.