Cheaper antibiotics save money, work just as well
February 1, 1998 less than 1 minute read
Cheaper antibiotics save money, work just as well
More expensive antibiotics are no more effective in treating otitis media, or middle ear infection, in children, according to a study of children covered by Colorado’s Medicaid program. Switching to cheaper antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, could bring cost savings in the millions of dollars nationwide, researchers at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center concluded.
The researchers reviewed the cases of 12,381 children 13 years of age and younger who were enrolled in Colorado’s fee-for-service Medicaid program and who were treated for a new episode of acute otitis media in 1991 and 1992. In 1992, if half the prescriptions for cefaclor, cefixime, and amoxicillin/clavulanate had been written for amoxicillin alone, Colorado’s Medicaid program would have saved $399,412, the researchers said.
Berman S, Byrns PJ, Bondy J. Otitis media-related antibiotic prescribing patterns, outcomes, and expenditures in a pediatric Medicaid population. Pediatrics 1997; 100:585-592.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content