COST-SAVING OF 5-DAY THERAPY WITH CEFPODOXIME PROXETIL VERSUS STANDARD 10-DAY BETA-LACTAM THERAPY FOR RECURRENT PHARYNGOTONSILLITIS IN ADULTS - A PROSPECTIVE GENERAL-PRACTICE STUDY

A prospective economic evaluation was undertaken as part of a randomis ed clinical trial conducted in French general practice. Its aim was to compare the costs and therapeutic outcomes of a 5-day course of cefpo doxime proxetil 100mg twice daily with 10-day courses of phenoxymethyl penicillin (penicillin V) 1 MIU 3 times daily and amoxicillin-clavulan ic acid 500/125mg 3 times daily for the treatment of recurrent pharyng otonsillitis in 575 adults. Over the 6-month study period, the total c ost to society per patient treated with cefpodoxime proxetil was 123 F rench francs (FF; 1993 values) lower than that for patients treated wi th phenoxymethylpenicillin and FF227 lower than that for patients trea ted with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. This cost saving was primarily a ttributable to a lower initial drug acquisition cost, and a reduction in the cost associated with lost productivity and general practitioner consultations. Furthermore, as a consequence of a lower relapse rate, the cost-saving ratio for cefpodoxime proxetil, expressed as FF per m onth free of recurrence, was FF50 less than for phenoxymethylpenicilli n and FF60 less than for amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Thus, a 5-day co urse of cefpodoxime proxetil is likely to be less costly for treatment of pharyngotonsillitis in the general practice setting than standard 10-day courses of phenoxymethylpenicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic a cid.