A cost-effectiveness analysis of antibiotic therapy in macrolide-resistant community-acquired pneumonia

Stephanie R Earnshaw1, Sean D Candrilli, Ancilla W Fernandes

  • 1Health Economics of RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA. searnshaw@rti.org

Managed Care Interface
|November 4, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Amoxicillin/clavulanate extended-release (AMX/CLA ER) offers a more cost-effective treatment for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) than clarithromycin ER. AMX/CLA ER achieved higher cure rates and lower costs, addressing rising antibiotic resistance concerns.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacoeconomics and Infectious Disease Management
  • Antimicrobial Resistance and Treatment Efficacy

Background:

  • Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) treatment success is critical, yet rising Streptococcus pneumoniae antibiotic resistance complicates first-line therapies.
  • The increasing prevalence of resistant S. pneumoniae necessitates evaluating alternative treatment strategies for CAP.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the cost-effectiveness and budgetary impact of treating CAP using amoxicillin/clavulanate (AMX/CLA) extended-release (ER) versus clarithromycin ER.
  • To compare clinical cure rates and average treatment costs between AMX/CLA ER and clarithromycin ER for CAP.

Main Methods:

  • A pharmacoeconomic model was developed, incorporating the incidence of macrolide- and AMX/CLA-susceptible and nonsusceptible S. pneumoniae.
  • Clinical cure rates were derived from multicenter trials and published literature to calculate average treatment costs and success rates.

Main Results:

  • Amoxicillin/clavulanate ER demonstrated a higher clinical cure rate (88.7%) compared to clarithromycin ER (82.4%).
  • Amoxicillin/clavulanate ER resulted in significantly lower average per-patient treatment costs ($437.70) versus clarithromycin ER ($548.14).

Conclusions:

  • Amoxicillin/clavulanate ER is a more effective and cost-effective treatment option for CAP compared to clarithromycin ER.
  • These findings support the use of AMX/CLA ER in managing CAP, particularly in the context of increasing antimicrobial resistance.

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