CURRENT PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATION OF PHARMACOECONOMICS

Anti-infective drugs account for between 3 and 25% of all prescription s, between 6 and 21% of the total market value of drugs in a single co untry, and up to 50% of the drug budget in hospitals. Not surprisingly , in an era when cost-containment policies are at the top of the agend a, issues related to pharmacoeconomics of antibacterial treatment have assumed an important part in these policies. However, there are still some misunderstandings regarding the precise terminology and differen ce in methodology of pharmacoeconomics. The aim of this paper is to ex plain the genealogy of pharmacoeconomics and various methods currently used in the application of this young discipline to anti-infective tr eatment.