Cost-effectiveness opportunities for new antibiotics

An Evaluation of Antibiotic Prescribing Practices in a Rural Refugee Settlement District in Uganda

Ensuring access to effective antibiotics and rational prescribing of antibiotics are critical in reducing antibiotic resistance. In this study, we evaluated antibiotic prescribing practices in a rural district in Uganda. It was a cross-sectional study that involved a retrospective review of 500 outpatient prescriptions from five health facilities. The prescriptions were systematically sampled. World Health Organization core medicine use prescribing and facility indicators were used. Percentage of encounters with one or more antibiotics prescribed was 23% (10,402/45,160). The mean number of antibiotics per prescription was 1.3 (669/500). About 27% (133/500) of the diagnoses and 42% (155/367) of the prescriptions were noncompliant with the national treatment guidelines. Prescribing antibiotics for nonbacterial infections such as malaria 32% (50/156) and noninfectious conditions such as dysmenorrhea and lumbago 15% (23/156) and nonspecific diagnosis such as respiratory tract infection 40% (59/133) were considered noncompliant with the guidelines. On average, 68% (51/75) of the antibiotics were available on the day of the visit. Inappropriate prescribing practices included excessive use of antibiotics and failure to diagnose and prescribe in compliance with treatment guidelines. There is a need to strengthen antibiotic use in the health facilities through setting up stewardship programs and interventions to promote adherence to national treatment guidelines.

An evaluation of prescribing practices for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Mongolia

BACKGROUND

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in all age groups worldwide. It may be classified as mild/moderate or severe, the latter usually requiring hospitalisation. Although, there are many studies reported in relation to CAP, there is relatively little known about the treatment of CAP and its antibiotic use in Mongolia. The study aim was to evaluate prescribing practices for the treatment of mild/moderate CAP in Mongolia with respect to national prescribing guidelines.

METHODS

Written prescriptions with a written diagnosis of CAP included were collected prospectively and sequentially for ten weeks from a purposefully selected sample of community pharmacies in rural and urban areas of Mongolia. The data collected included the patient's age, gender, medication details, frequency and number of doses prescribed. Evaluation was with respect to the Mongolian Standard Treatment Guidelines (2005, 2008). Statistical differences between groups were tested using the Chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests.

RESULTS

Prescriptions were collected from 22 pharmacies and represented the prescribing practices of 118 doctors. The study enrolled 394 (193 adults and 201 children) patients, with a median age for children of 2.0 years (range: 0.03-12) and adults of 33.0 years (range: 13-92).The most commonly prescribed drugs were aminopenicillins, vitamins, and mucolytics, with the median number of drugs being three per prescription. Inappropriate drug selection was similar for adults (57.7%) and children (56.6%), and the major reason for an overall frequency of inappropriate prescribing for adults was 89.0% and for children 78.0%. Doctors in urban areas prescribed more inappropriate drugs than those in rural areas for both children and adults, p = .0014. The proportion of prescribed injections was 28.4% for adults and 9.0% for children, and for adults was significantly higher in urban areas. The prescribing standard for non-hospitalized patients in Mongolia states that injections should not be prescribed.

CONCLUSIONS

The high level of inappropriate prescribing for mild/moderate CAP highlights the need to develop comprehensive and reliable procedures nationwide to improve prescribing practices in Mongolia.

Economic consequences of antimicrobial resistance

BACKGROUND

In the past two decades, a dramatic increase in the frequency and prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens has challenged clinicians and researchers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A review of the literature was conducted. Available data identifying the costs and consequences of resistance are summarized while the issues and limitations of research assessing the economics of resistance are acknowledged.

RESULTS

Microbial resistance is a complex, multifactorial phenomenon, but the single most powerful influence is antimicrobial use. Treatment guidelines, clinical pathways, and other directives exert widespread influences on individual selection of antimicrobial agents. However, use of an empiric regimen that does not provide effective coverage, or a targeted regimen that is dosed too low to provide optimal therapy, will delay eradication of the pathogen, increase the potential for resistance to emerge, extend and increase morbidity, and expose the patient to an increased risk of mortality. Coincident with these untoward clinical events are economic consequences secondary to increased duration of treatment, and for some, an extended duration of hospitalization.

CONCLUSION

Resistant gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria have been associated with increased direct medical costs ranging from several thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars per patient.

[A pharmacoeconomic study of the antibiotic treatment of the acute manifestations of chronic bronchitis in primary care. The DAFNE Group]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness and the cost of antibiotic treatment of chronic bronchitis (CB) crises and COPD in PC.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study of patients with CB and COPD monitored in health districts. Information was requested on the first ten patients, without any selection, who attended for consultation with the diagnosis of a crisis in their CB or COPD. They were followed for 30 days and the direct costs of their care were evaluated. The cost-effectiveness of the various types of antibiotic treatment was analysed.

RESULTS

268 doctors took part and provided 2354 patients who were valid for the study. 20.8% (490/2354) came back within 30 days because of poor evolution: 79 (3.3%) of these needed hospital admission. The average cost of the failure was 57,687 pesetas. The cost of the use of cephixime was 14,388 pesetas per crisis, with 82.5% effectiveness. The cost for the alternative of "other antibiotics" was 19,775 pesetas, with 73.4% effectiveness. For the alternative amoxycillin-clavulanic acid, the cost was 18,647 pesetas with 74.4% effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

A fifth of the patients evolved poorly, which led to the admission of 3.3%. Cephixime treatment was the dominant treatment, as it is more effective and cheaper than all the other antibiotics and than amoxycillin-clavulanic acid treatment. The cost of the therapeutic failure of crises is more than three times greater than the cost of antibiotic treatment. The rate of failure, which means considerable morbidity at very high cost, must be reduced.