Cost Analysis of Ertapenem Therapy for Urinary Tract Infections and Assessment of Its Suitability for Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy Programme in Turkey

Abstract

Introduction: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate whether there was a difference between outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) and inpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (IPAT) costs of ertapenem for urinary tract infections (UTI"s) due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Gram-negative bacilli, and to discuss suitability of ertapenem for OPAT programme of Turkey for the near future. Materials and Methods: A total of 53 patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of UTI and treated with ertapenem were retrospectively evaluated. The cost of ertapenem treatment as IPAT was actual costs retrieved from the hospital records. The estimated cost of the same antibiotic for the same patients as an OPAT programme was then calculated and the costs were compared. Results: The cost difference between IPAT and OPAT was 12.305 (€ 5783). Outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy programme would provide an estimated 20% reduction in treatment costs. The estimated number of bed days saved, if the patients had received the treatment as OPAT, was calculated to be 583 days, which constitutes about 5% of the total number of hospitalization days. Conclusion: Applying ertapenem therapy through OPAT programme for UTIs caused by ESBL-producing Gram-negative bacilli will decrease the financial burden of health expenditures and the number of inpatient bed days in Turkey.

Keywords

• Ertapenem
• extended-spectrum beta-lactamases
• urinary tract infection
• cost analysis
• outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy