An Updated Economic Assessment of Moxidectin Treatment Strategies for Onchocerciasis Elimination.

BACKGROUND: Concerns that annual mass administration of ivermectin, the predominant strategy for onchocerciasis control and elimination, may not lead to elimination of parasite transmission (EoT) in all endemic areas have increased interest in alternative treatment strategies. One such strategy is moxidectin. We performed an updated economic assessment of moxidectin- relative to ivermectin-based strategies. METHODS: We investigated annual and biannual community-directed treatment with ivermectin (aCDTI, bCDTI) and moxidectin (aCDTM, bCDTM) with minimal or enhanced coverage (65% or 80% of total population taking the drug, respectively) in intervention-naive areas with 30%, 50%, or 70% microfilarial baseline prevalence (representative of hypo-, meso-, and hyperendemic areas). We compared programmatic delivery costs for the number of treatments achieving 90% probability of EoT (EoT90), calculated with the individual-based stochastic transmission model EPIONCHO-IBM. We used the costs for 40 years of program delivery when EoT90 was not reached earlier. The delivery costs do not include drug costs. RESULTS: aCDTM and bCDTM achieved EoT90 with lower programmatic delivery costs than aCDTI with 1 exception: aCDTM with minimal coverage did not achieve EoT90 in hyperendemic areas within 40 years. With minimal coverage, bCDTI delivery costs as much or more than aCDTM and bCDTM. With enhanced coverage, programmatic delivery costs for aCDTM and bCDTM were lower than for aCDTI and bCDTI. CONCLUSIONS: Moxidectin-based strategies could accelerate progress toward EoT and reduce programmatic delivery costs compared with ivermectin-based strategies. The costs of moxidectin to national programs are needed to quantify whether delivery cost reductions will translate into overall program cost reduction.

Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance: We Always Need New Antibacterials but for Right Bacteria.

Antimicrobial resistance in bacteria is frightening, especially resistance in Gram-negative Bacteria (GNB). In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a list of 12 bacteria that represent a threat to human health, and among these, a majority of GNB. Antibiotic resistance is a complex and relatively old phenomenon that is the consequence of several factors. The first factor is the vertiginous drop in research and development of new antibacterials. In fact, many companies simply stop this R&D activity. The finding is simple: there are enough antibiotics to treat the different types of infection that clinicians face. The second factor is the appearance and spread of resistant or even multidrug-resistant bacteria. For a long time, this situation remained rather confidential, almost anecdotal. It was not until the end of the 1980s that awareness emerged. It was the time of Vancomycin-Resistance Enterococci (VRE), and the threat of Vancomycin-Resistant MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus). After this, there has been renewed interest but only in anti-Gram positive antibacterials. Today, the threat is GNB, and we have no new molecules with innovative mechanism of action to fight effectively against these bugs. However, the war against antimicrobial resistance is not lost. We must continue the fight, which requires a better knowledge of the mechanisms of action of anti-infectious agents and concomitantly the mechanisms of resistance of infectious agents.

Enumerating the economic cost of antimicrobial resistance per antibiotic consumed to inform the evaluation of interventions affecting their use.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a colossal threat to global health and incurs high economic costs to society. Economic evaluations of antimicrobials and interventions such as diagnostics and vaccines that affect their consumption rarely include the costs of AMR, resulting in sub-optimal policy recommendations. We estimate the economic cost of AMR per antibiotic consumed, stratified by drug class and national income level. Methods: The model is comprised of three components: correlation coefficients between human antibiotic consumption and subsequent resistance; the economic costs of AMR for five key pathogens; and consumption data for antibiotic classes driving resistance in these organisms. These were used to calculate the economic cost of AMR per antibiotic consumed for different drug classes, using data from Thailand and the United States (US) to represent low/middle and high-income countries. Results: The correlation coefficients between consumption of antibiotics that drive resistance in S. aureus, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, A. baumanii, and P. aeruginosa and resistance rates were 0.37, 0.27, 0.35, 0.45, and 0.52, respectively. The total economic cost of AMR due to resistance in these five pathogens was $0.5 billion and $2.9 billion in Thailand and the US, respectively. The cost of AMR associated with the consumption of one standard unit (SU) of antibiotics ranged from $0.1 for macrolides to $0.7 for quinolones, cephalosporins and broad-spectrum penicillins in the Thai context. In the US context, the cost of AMR per SU of antibiotic consumed ranged from $0.1 for carbapenems to $0.6 for quinolones, cephalosporins and broad spectrum penicillins. Conclusion: The economic costs of AMR per antibiotic consumed were considerable, often exceeding their purchase cost. Differences between Thailand and the US were apparent, corresponding with variation in the overall burden of AMR and relative prevalence of different pathogens. Notwithstanding their limitations, use of these estimates in economic evaluations can make better-informed policy recommendations regarding interventions that affect antimicrobial consumption and those aimed specifically at reducing the burden of AMR.

Treatment strategies for sheep scab: An economic model of farmer behaviour.

Ovine psoroptic mange (sheep scab) is a debilitating and damaging condition caused by a hypersensitivity reaction to the faecal material of the parasitic mite Psoroptes ovis. Farmers incur costs from the use of prophylactic acaricides and, if their sheep become infected, they incur the costs of therapeutic treatment plus the economic loss from reduced stock growth, lower reproductive rate, wool loss and hide damage. The unwillingness of farmers to use routine prophylactic treatment has been cited as a primary cause of the growing incidence of sheep scab in the United Kingdom (UK) since the disease was deregulated in 1992. However, if farmers behave rationally from an economic perspective, the optimum strategy that they should adopt will depend on the risk of infection and the relative costs of prophylactic versus therapeutic treatment, plus potential losses. This calculation is also complicated by the fact that the risk of infection is increased if neighbours have scab and reduced if neighbours treat prophylactically. Hence, for any farmer, the risk of infection and optimum approach to treatment is also contingent on the behaviour of neighbours, particularly when common grazing is used. Here, the relative economic costs of different prophylactic treatment strategies are calculated for upland and lowland farmers and a game theory model is used to evaluate the relative costs for a farmer and his/her neighbour under different risk scenarios. The analysis shows that prophylaxis with organophosphate (OP) dipping is a cost effective strategy, but only for upland farmers where the risk of infection is high. In all other circumstances prophylaxis is not cost effective relative to reliance on reactive (therapeutic) treatment. Hence, farmers adopting a reactive treatment policy only, are behaving in an economically rational manner. Prophylaxis and cooperation only become economically rational if the risk of scab infection is considerably higher than the current national average, or the cost of treatment is lower. Should policy makers wish to reduce the national prevalence of scab, economic incentives such as subsidising the cost of acaricides or rigorously applied financial penalties, would be required to make prophylactic treatment economically appealing to individual farmers. However, such options incur their own infrastructure and implementation costs for central government.

Cost-effectiveness of antibiotic treatment strategies for community-acquired pneumonia: results from a cluster randomized cross-over trial.

BACKGROUND: To determine the cost-effectiveness of strategies of preferred antibiotic treatment with beta-lactam/macrolide combination or fluoroquinolone monotherapy compared to beta-lactam monotherapy. METHODS: Costs and effects were estimated using data from a cluster-randomized cross-over trial of antibiotic treatment strategies, primarily from the reduced third payer perspective (i.e. hospital admission costs). Cost-minimization analysis (CMA) and cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) were performed using linear mixed models. CMA results were expressed as difference in costs per patient. CEA results were expressed as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) showing additional costs per prevented death. RESULTS: A total of 2,283 patients were included. Crude average costs within 90 days from the reduced third payer perspective were €4,294, €4,392, and €4,002 per patient for the beta-lactam monotherapy, beta-lactam/macrolide combination, and fluoroquinolone monotherapy strategy, respectively. CMA results were €106 (95% CI €-697 to €754) for the beta-lactam/macrolide combination strategy and €-278 (95%CI €-991 to €396) for the fluoroquinolone monotherapy strategy, both compared to the beta-lactam monotherapy strategy. The ICER was not statistically significantly different between the strategies. Other perspectives yielded similar results. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences in cost-effectiveness of strategies of preferred antibiotic treatment of CAP on non-ICU wards with either beta-lactam monotherapy, beta-lactam/macrolide combination therapy, or fluoroquinolone monotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01660204 , on May 2nd, 2012.

Comparative Effectiveness of Beta-lactam Versus Macrolide Monotherapy in Children with Pneumonia Diagnosed in the Outpatient Setting.

BACKGROUND: Most children diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are treated in the outpatient setting. The objective of this study was to determine the comparative clinical effectiveness of beta-lactam monotherapy and macrolide monotherapy in this population. STUDY DESIGN: Children, 1-18 years old, with a clinical diagnosis of CAP at an outpatient practice affiliated (n = 71) with Geisinger Health System during January 1, 2008 to January 31, 2010 were eligible. The primary exposure was receipt of beta-lactam or macrolide monotherapy. The primary outcome was treatment failure defined as change in antibiotic prescription within 14 days of the initial pneumonia diagnosis. Propensity scores were used to determine the likelihood of receiving macrolide monotherapy. Treatment groups were matched 1:1, based on propensity score, age group and asthma status. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models estimated the association between macrolide monotherapy and treatment failures. RESULTS: Of 1999 children with CAP, 1164 were matched. In the matched cohorts, 24% of children had asthma. Patients who received macrolide monotherapy had no statistical difference in treatment failure regardless of age when compared with patients who received beta-lactam monotherapy. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that children diagnosed with CAP in the outpatient setting and treated with beta-lactam or macrolide monotherapy have the same likelihood to fail treatment regardless of age.

The potential impact of moxidectin on onchocerciasis elimination in Africa: an economic evaluation based on the Phase II clinical trial data.

BACKGROUND: Spurred by success in several foci, onchocerciasis control policy in Africa has shifted from morbidity control to elimination of infection. Clinical trials have demonstrated that moxidectin is substantially more efficacious than ivermectin in effecting sustained reductions in skin microfilarial load and, therefore, may accelerate progress towards elimination. We compare the potential cost-effectiveness of annual moxidectin with annual and biannual ivermectin treatment. METHODS: Data from the first clinical study of moxidectin were used to parameterise the onchocerciasis transmission model EPIONCHO to investigate, for different epidemiological and programmatic scenarios in African savannah settings, the number of years and in-country costs necessary to reach the operational thresholds for cessation of treatment, comparing annual and biannual ivermectin with annual moxidectin treatment. RESULTS: Annual moxidectin and biannual ivermectin treatment would achieve similar reductions in programme duration relative to annual ivermectin treatment. Unlike biannual ivermectin treatment, annual moxidectin treatment would not incur a considerable increase in programmatic costs and, therefore, would generate sizeable in-country cost savings (assuming the drug is donated). Furthermore, the impact of moxidectin, unlike ivermectin, was not substantively influenced by the timing of treatment relative to seasonal patterns of transmission. CONCLUSIONS: Moxidectin is a promising new drug for the control and elimination of onchocerciasis. It has high programmatic value particularly when resource limitation prevents a biannual treatment strategy, or optimal timing of treatment relative to peak transmission season is not feasible.

Pertussis post-exposure prophylaxis among household contacts: a cost-utility analysis.

BACKGROUND: Recent pertussis outbreaks have prompted re-examination of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) strategies, when immunization is not immediately protective. Chemoprophylaxis is recommended to household contacts; however there are concerns of clinical failure and significant adverse events, especially with erythromycin among infants who have the highest disease burden. Newer macrolides offer fewer side effects at higher drug costs. We sought to determine the cost-effectiveness of PEP strategies from the health care payer perspective. METHODS: A Markov model was constructed to examine 4 mutually exclusive strategies: erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, or no intervention, stratified by age group of contacts ("infant", "child", and "adult"). Transition probabilities, costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were derived from the literature. Chronic neurologic sequelae were modeled over a lifetime, with costs and QALYs discounted at 5%. Associated health outcomes and costs were compared, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were calculated in 2012 Canadian dollars. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the degree of uncertainty in the results. FINDINGS: Azithromycin offered the highest QALYs in all scenarios. While this was the dominant strategy among infants, it produced an ICER of $16,963 per QALY among children and $2,415 per QALY among adults. Total QALYs with azithromycin were 19.7 for a 5-kg infant, 19.4 for a 10-year-old child, and 18.8 for a 30-year-old adult. The costs of azithromycin PEP among infants, children and adults were $1,976, $132 and $90, respectively. While results were sensitive to changes in PEP effectiveness (11% to 87%), disease transmission (variable among age groups) and hospitalization costs ($379 to $59,644), the choice of strategy remained unchanged. INTERPRETATION: Pertussis PEP is a cost-effective strategy compared with no intervention and plays an important role in contact management, potentially in outbreak situations. From a healthcare payer perspective, azithromycin is the optimal strategy among all contact groups.

Preventing COPD exacerbations with macrolides: a review and budget impact analysis.

Long-term treatment with macrolides has recently been shown to reduce COPD exacerbations in doses lower than bactericidal doses. This article aims to critically review the international literature relating to the long-term effectiveness and safety of macrolides and to estimate the budget impact of preventing exacerbations with azithromycin in Belgium. Controlled clinical studies focusing on the prevention of COPD exacerbations with long-term macrolide treatment were identified in PubMed, EMBASE, Controlled Trials Registry of the Cochrane Library, and Social Science and Citation Index. The budget impact of preventing exacerbations with azithromycin in Belgium over a one-year period was calculated as the difference between the additional expenditure of annual treatment with azithromycin and the savings in hospital expenditure arising from fewer COPD exacerbations in patients with GOLD stages II-IV. Prevalence and resource use data were derived from the literature and unit cost data from Belgian sources. The literature review suggests that long-term treatment of COPD patients with azithromycin, erythromycin or clarithromycin is effective and safe, and reduces exacerbations and related hospitalizations. However, uncertainty remains about the specific patient population that is most likely to benefit from long-term macrolide treatment, the optimal dose and duration of macrolide treatment, and the potential impact of long-term macrolide treatment on resistance. The budget impact analysis demonstrated that annual hospital savings of €950 million resulting from fewer exacerbations outweighed additional expenditure on azithromycin of €595 million, implying that the prevention of COPD exacerbations with azithromycin is a cost saving strategy in Belgium.

Macrolides vs. quinolones for community-acquired pneumonia: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The relative efficacy, safety and ecological implications of macrolides vs. quinolones in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are debatable. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing any macrolide vs. any quinolone for the treatment of CAP among adult inpatients or outpatients, as monotherapy or both in combination with a beta-lactam. We did not limit inclusion by pneumonia severity, publication status, language or date of publication. The primary outcomes assessed were 30-day all-cause mortality and treatment failure. Two authors independently extracted the data. Fixed effect meta-analysis of risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals was performed. Sixteen trials (4989 patients) fulfilling inclusion criteria were identified, mostly assessing outpatients with mild to moderate CAP. All-cause mortality was not significantly different for macrolides vs. quinolones, RR 1.03 (0.63-1.68, seven trials), with a low event rate (2%). Treatment failure was significantly lower with quinolones, RR 0.78 (0.67-0.91, 16 trials). The definition of failure used in the primary studies was not clearly representative of patients' benefit. Microbiological failure was lower with quinolones, RR 0.63 (0.49-0.81, 13 trials). All adverse events, adverse events requiring discontinuation and any premature antibiotic discontinuation were significantly more frequent with macrolides, mainly on account of gastrointestinal adverse events. Resistance development was not assessed in the trials. Randomized controlled trials show an advantage of quinolones in the treatment of CAP with regard to clinical cure without need for antibiotic modification at end of treatment and gastrointestinal adverse events. The clinical significance of this advantage is unclear.

[Antibiotic consumption and its costs of purchase in Polish neonatology networks units]. / Zuzycie antybiotyków i koszty ich zakupu w oddzialach Polskiej sieci neonatologicznej.

AIM: The study presents the results of the analysis of antibiotic consumption and its direct costs in selected neonatal units. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively (the year 2007) in five hospitals, during the pilot phase of the Polish Neonatal Network . Antibiotic consumption was assessed using the Defined Daily Dose (DDD). The costs were assessed as the costs of purchase of one DDD. RESULTS: The study included 11 922 children hospitalized in the period from 1.01 to 31.12.2007. In this group, 731 infants have birth weight < 1500 grams (from 2.2% to 64.2% in individual units, median--7.3%). The mean consumption of antibacterial drugs was 48.52 DDD/1 000 person-days (P-D) of stay among the entire study population (median--42,52), and varied from 23.13 to 85.82 DDD/1,000 P-D. However, this difference has not been statistically significant. The most commonly used group of antibiotics were beta-lactams--in four out of five units the percentage of its usage ranged from 48.71% to 74.67%. Next group were aminoglicosides--in one unit its usage reached 56.97% and in other ranged from 5.01% to 22.53%. Glycopeptides and macrolides were also used in every unit of the studied group. The usage of glycopeptides ranged from 1.7% to 10.81% and of macrolides from 1.32% to 15.71%. Different kinds of antibiotics were used occasionally. The differences of costs of purchase of one DDD between hospitals were greater and varied from 17,64 PLN/ DDD to 84,58 PLN/ DDD (average costs). A considerable range of costs index values was also noted for different groups of antibiotics. The costs of purchase of one DDD of beta-lactams varied from 19.54 PLN/ DDD to 68.35 PLN/ DDD; for aminoglicosides the cost varied from 4.61 PLN/ DDD to 122.9 PLN/ DDD, for glycopeptides--from 31.40 PLN/ DDD to 283.13 PLN/ DDD and in case of macrolides: from 12.05 PLN/ DDD to 90.77 PLN/ DDD. This differentiation of the cost of purchasing a single defined daily dose, taking into account the specific groups of antibiotics, did not have the characteristics of statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: As expected, the antibiotic regimens in the studied wards were similar. This is due to a homogeneous population of hospitalized patients. However, the differences of costs of purchase of antibiotics observed in the study, indicate the considerable variety of the treatment patterns in Polish neonatology units and the need to develop and implement recommendations of effective pharmacotherapy for patients in intensive neonatal care units and the implementation of a unified model of infections surveillance.

Head lice and the use of spinosad.

BACKGROUND: Head lice infestations are responsible for social and economic distress. Despite a reported increase in resistance, permethrin 1% is still the first-line treatment of head lice. Alternative topical pediculicidal agents include malathion and benzyl alcohol, but resistance is of growing concern. In 2011, a new pediculicide, spinosad, was introduced. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to review the clinical pharmacology, efficacy, tolerability, and current place in therapy of spinosad for the treatment of head lice. METHODS: Pertinent articles and abstracts were identified through searches of MEDLINE/Ebsco and MEDLINE/Ovid from 1948 to September 2011 and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts from 1966 to September 2011. RESULTS: Two reports described 3 trials of spinosad used for the treatment of head lice. One study (n = 120) demonstrated efficacy of both spinosad 0.5% and spinosad 1% compared with placebo, with 82.5% and 86.1% of patients free of live lice 14 days after treatment, respectively, compared with 25.6% in the placebo group (P < 0.001 for each treatment). The difference between the spinosad 0.5% and 1% treatment groups was not significant. Two trials (n = 1038) comparing spinosad 0.9% with permethrin 1% reported greater efficacy for spinosad with absence of live lice 14 days after 1 or 2 treatments for 84.6% and 86.7%, respectively, of primary cases compared with 44.9% and 42.9% with permethrin (P < 0.001 for both studies). The most common reported adverse events were eye and scalp irritation, but they were not statistically significant (P = 0.329 and P = 0.395, respectively). Only application-site erythema reactions showed statistical significance, with 6.8% in the permethrin group versus 3.1% in the spinosad group (P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Although limited, the available literature suggests that spinosad is an effective and well-tolerated agent for the treatment of head lice. In a time of increasing resistance, spinosad has demonstrated superior performance compared with permethrin. A review of the literature did not identify any studies comparing spinosad to benzyl alcohol 5% or malathion 0.5%.

Ambulatory antibiotic use and prescription drug coverage in older adults.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown that use of medications to treat chronic conditions is highly sensitive to out-of-pocket price and influenced by changes in insurance coverage. Because antibiotics target infections and are used for a short period, one may expect antibiotic use to be less responsive to price. However, no studies have evaluated how antibiotic use changes with drug coverage. We evaluate changes in ambulatory oral antibiotic use after implementation of the Medicare drug benefit (Part D). METHODS: We conducted a comparison group analysis 2 years before and after implementation of Part D using insurance claims data from a large Medicare Advantage plan (January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2007). Outcomes included the likelihood of using any oral antibiotics and major antibiotic subclasses among 35 102 older adults and rates of antibiotic use among those with pneumonia and other acute respiratory tract infections. RESULTS: Overall antibiotic use increased most among those who did not previously have drug coverage (relative odds ratio [OR], 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36-1.85). Use of the broad spectrum antibiotic subclasses of quinolones (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.35-2.15) and macrolides (1.59; 1.26-2.01) increased more than the use of other subclasses, especially for those with prior drug coverage. Rates of ambulatory antibiotic use associated with pneumonia increased (OR, 3.60; 95% CI, 2.35-5.53) more than those associated with other acute respiratory tract infections (2.29; 1.85-2.83). CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic use increased among older adults whose drug coverage improved after Part D implementation, with the largest increases for broad spectrum, newer, and more expensive antibiotics. Our study suggests reimbursement may play a role in addressing inappropriate antibiotic use.

Impacto de un modelo integrado para el uso racional de antimicrobianos (proyecto Miura) en una área de salud / Impact of integrated model for rational use of antibiotics in a health area (project MIURA)

Fundamento: MIURA (Modelo Integrado para el Uso Racional de Antimicrobianos) es un proyecto que se inicio en enero de 2004 y finalizó en diciembre de 2006. Mediante intervenciones trimestrales y formativas dirigidas a médicos, farmacéuticos y pacientes, pretendió mejorar el uso de antibióticos en un área de salud. El objetivo ha sido analizar la evolución en el consumo de antibióticos y evaluar la repercusión de la implantación de este proyecto en un área de salud. Método: Se realizó un estudio comparativo sobre la evolución de la dispensación de antibióticos con receta durante los periodos 2000-03 (pre-MIURA), 2004-06 (MIURA) y 2007-08 (post-MIURA) en el Departamento de Salud 11 de la Comunidad Valenciana. La información se obtuvo a través de la aplicación informática GAIA (Generalitat Valenciana) que recoge información sobre los medicamentos facturados por las oficinas de farmacia a través de las recetas oficiales. Como unidad técnica de medida se empleó la DHD (Dosis diaria definida/1.000 Habitantes/Día). Resultados: Durante el periodo de implantación del proyecto (2004 a 2006), se detectó un descenso global de 4,02 DHD en el consumo de antibióticos, lo que representa una reducción global y significativa del 15% (p<0.05). Durante el periodo del MIURA se observó una disminución estadísticamente significativa en los valores de DHD para los grupos terapéuticos de macrólidos (especialmente claritromicina) y de cefalosporinas; también se detectó una disminución, aunque no significativa, para el grupo de las quinolonas, mientras que los grupos correspondientes a las penicilinas y a otros antibióticos no presentaron cambios. En el periodo post-MIURA se detectó un nuevo incremento en la dispensación de los antibióticos. Conclusiones: El programa MIURA ha influido positivamente en la disminución de la prescripción de antibióticos en nuestra área de salud, como demuestra el descenso en DHD durante el periodo de intervenciones(AU)

Background: MIURA (Integrated Model for the Rational Use of Antimicrobials) is a project that began in January 2004 and ended in December 2006. Through quarterly and training interventions intented for physicians, pharmacists and patients, pretends to improve antibiotic use in a health area. The goal was to analyze the evolution of antibiotic consumption and assess the impact of implementing this project in a health area. Method: A comparative study on the evolution of antibiotic dispensed during the periods 2000-03 (pre-MIURA), 2004-06 (MIURA) and 2007-08 (post-MIURA) in the Department of Health 11 of Valencia was conduced. Antibiotics information was obtained through the GAIA application (Generalitat Valenciana) that collects information about the drugs billed by the pharmacy through the official prescriptions. Technical unit of measurement was used DHD (daily dose defined/1.000 inhabitants / day). Results: During the implementation of the project (2004-2006), antibiotic consumption was reduced in 4.02 DHD. It represents a statistically significant overall reduction from 15% (p= <0.05). Since interventions started, a statistically significant decrease in DHD values was observed for macrolides (especially clarithromycin) and cephalosporines. It also exist an average decrease, not significant, for the group of quinolones, whereas penicillins and other antibiotics haven’t showed variability in the consumption data. In the post-MIURA period was detected a further increase in the dispensing of antibiotics. Conclusions: MIURA program has positively influenced on decreasing antibiotic prescription in our health area, as shows the decrease in DHD during the interventions(AU)

Health economics of use fluoroquinolones to treat patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

Respiratory diseases account for approximately 10% of all hospital admissions in the United States. Pneumonia constitutes 35% of these cases, with an average length of stay (LOS) of 5.1 days. It is estimated that $8.4 billion to $10 billion of all annual US hospital expenditures are attributable to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). As such, medical decisions, including empiric antibiotic choice, potentially exert an impact on hospital LOS and associated costs. In this review, we focus on the empiric antibiotic choices and associated costs of treatment for hospitalized patients with CAP, focusing on the use of fluoroquinolone therapy as recommended by the CAP guidelines.

Treatment costs associated with community-acquired pneumonia by community level of antimicrobial resistance.

INTRODUCTION: The aim is to quantify community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) treatment outcomes and costs from a managed care perspective by the level of macrolide resistance corresponding to the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) where patients lived. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted using the i3 Magnify database (05/2000-05/2005) and the Prospective Resistant Organism Tracking and Epidemiology for the Ketolide Telithromycin (PROTEKT) database. Continuously enrolled patients aged 18 years and older residing in MSAs with PROTEKT data that had an outpatient CAP-related ICD-9 code and with one antibiotic pharmacy claim within 7 days were included. Patients were excluded for having a prior condition or drug treatment that could mimic CAP or precipitate infections, or for recent hospitalizations. Treatment costs by the level of resistance in the patient's MSA, by treatment outcome and by initial treatment were measured and adjusted for differences in baseline patient characteristics. RESULTS: The final study included 9446 CAP cases (average age of 47.6 years, 52.2% male). The majority (56.1%) resided in an MSA with macrolide resistance rates of < 25%. Treatment success rates were 82.5% and 80.5% for MSAs with resistance levels being < 25% and > or = 25%, respectively (P < 0.001). Treatment failure resulting in hospitalization was higher in resistance areas > or = 25% at 13.1% versus 8.0% in areas with resistance < 25% (P < 0.001). Average adjusted treatment costs were 33% higher for those treated in areas with resistance levels > or = 25% than for those treated in areas where resistance was < 25%. Treatment success was associated with average adjusted costs that were 58% less than those whose initial treatment failed, controlling for level resistance (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study observed an association between community-level macrolide resistance and treatment and economic outcomes. Treatment failure costs were higher for CAP patients treated in areas with macrolide resistance rates > or = 25% than for those treated in areas where resistance was < or = 25%.

Treatment failure rates and health care utilization and costs among patients with community-acquired pneumonia treated with levofloxacin or macrolides in an outpatient setting: a retrospective claims database analysis.

BACKGROUND: Macrolide antibiotics and fluoroquinolones are extensively used in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). OBJECTIVE: This analysis was conducted to compare treatment failure rates and health care utilization and cost outcomes among patients with CAP treated with levo-floxacin (500 or 750 mg) or macrolides (azithromycin, clarithromycin, or erythromycin) in an outpatient setting. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of claims data from a large US health plan. Patients were aged > or =18 years and had a primary diagnosis of CAP that was treated with oral levofloxacin or a macrolide in an outpatient setting (including physicians' offices, outpatient clinics, urgent care centers, and large ambulatory health centers). Patients were followed for 30 days after the index drug date to measure study outcomes. Multivariate regression analysis and a propensity score technique were used to compare rates of treatment failure and CAP-related health care utilization and costs. Two post hoc subgroup analyses were conducted in patients aged > or =50 and > or =65 years. RESULTS: Of the 7526 patients meeting the inclusion criteria, 2968 (39.4%) were treated with levofloxacin and 4558 (60.6%) with a macrolide. Unadjusted rates of treatment failure were 21.1% and 22.7% in the levofloxacin and macrolide cohorts, respectively. After adjustment for demographic characteristics, baseline comorbidities, and severity of illness, levofloxacin recipients were significantly less likely to experience treatment failure than macrolide recipients (odds ratio [OR] = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.75-0.94, P = 0.003). The likelihood of treatment failure was significantly lower in levofloxacin recipients aged > or =50 years (OR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66-0.94; P = 0.007) and > or =65 years (OR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.43-1.00; P = 0.049) compared with the corresponding subgroups of macrolide recipients. The magnitude of this difference was greatest in the subgroup aged > or =65 years, which had a 35% reduced risk of treatment failure compared with the corresponding group of macrolide-treated patients. The rate of CAP-related emergency department visits was significantly lower among patients receiving levofloxa-cin (OR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.51-0.91; P = 0.009); there were no differences in CAP-related hospitalizations or total CAP-related health care costs between levofloxa-cin and macrolide recipients. CONCLUSIONS: Multivariate-adjusted rates of treatment failure in outpatients with CAP were significantly lower in those treated with levofloxacin relative to those treated with a macrolide. The lower rates of treatment failure with levofloxacin were consistently observed across all patients and in the subgroups aged > or =50 and > or =65 years. Rates of emergency department visits were also significantly lower among levofloxacin-treated patients, whereas overall CAP-related hospitali-zations and costs did not differ significantly between the 2 treatment groups.

Cost-effectiveness of oral gemifloxacin versus intravenous ceftriaxone followed by oral cefuroxime with/without a macrolide for the treatment of hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

We studied the cost-effectiveness of oral gemifloxacin with intravenous ceftriaxone followed by oral cefuroxime with or without a macrolide to treat patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia. Data were prospectively collected as part of a randomized multicenter study. The costs evaluated included antimicrobial acquisition (1st level); plus preparation, dispensing, and administration costs, and treatment of antimicrobial-related adverse events and clinical failures (2nd level); plus per diem costs for hospital stay related to study drug administration (3rd level). At follow-up, clinical success was similar between gemifloxacin (76.9%)- and ceftriaxone (79.1%)-treated patients. The median 1st-level costs for gemifloxacin and ceftriaxone were $136 and $470 (P<0.001), respectively. For the 2nd level, these costs were $158 and $542 (P<0.001), and for the 3rd level, these were $5052 and $5789 (P=0.025), respectively. The median cost per expected success was $6568 for gemifloxacin and $7321 for ceftriaxone (P=0.29). Oral gemifloxacin is clinically effective and has an economic advantage over ceftriaxone, followed by oral cefuroxime with or without a macrolide.

Economic efficacy of anthelmintic treatments in dairy sheep naturally infected by gastrointestinal strongyles.

The aim of the present paper was to assess benefit of strategic anthelmintic treatments on milk production in six commercial dairy sheep farms, located in southern Italy, whose animals were naturally infected with gastrointestinal strongyles. On each farm, two similar groups were formed, one untreated control group and one treated group. In all the treated groups, the strategic anthelmintic schemes were based on: (i) only one treatment with moxidectin in the periparturient period (February, Farm No. 6), or; (ii) two treatments, i.e. the first with moxidectin performed in the periparturient period (February, Farms Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4) or in the postparturient period (April, Farm No. 5), and the second with netobimin at the mid/end of lactation (June, Farms Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). Faecal egg count reduction (FECR) tests were performed on each farm in order to asses the anthelmintic efficacy of the drugs used. In addition, milk yield measurements for each animal fortnightly in each farm for the lactation period were performed. In terms of FECR, both moxidectin and netobimin were effective in all the 6 studied farms. Regarding milk production, overall in the 6 study farms the mean daily milk productions of the treated groups were higher than those of the control group. However, there were important differences between the 6 farms, i.e. the increase of milk production in the treated groups versus the control groups was as follows: +18.9% (Farm 1), +30.4% (Farm 2), +4.0% (Farm 3), +37.0% (Farm 4), +5.5% (Farm 5) and +40.8% (Farm 6). The results of the study showed that the economic efficacy of an anthelmintic treatment is not a cause-effect issue, but is a multifactorial issue which depends upon the quali-quantitative parasitological status of the animals, the pathogenesis of the species of parasites, the virulence of the strains of parasites, the local epidemiology, the timing of treatment, the breed of animal in terms of genetics and production types, nutrient supply.