DETERMINING THE COST OF ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY - A FOCUS ON FLUOROQUINOLONES

An economic evaluation of an antimicrobial agent must consider, in add ition to its acquisition cost, the many costs associated with the drug 's characteristics. Factors to assess include efficacy (eg, spectrum o f antimicrobial activity), dosing regimen, administration needs (eg, p reparation time, administration time, supplies and solutions for IV fo rmulations), suitability for step-down (intravenous-to-oral) therapy, therapeutic drug monitoring requirements, side effect profile, and qua lity-of-life issues (eg, compliance issues, potential for home therapy ), The third- and fourth-generation fluoroquinolones possess many char acteristics that make them cost-effective alternatives for the antimic robial formulary: potent antimicrobial activity, once-daily dosing, av ailability in both IV and oral formulations, and a well-tolerated side effect profile.