Cost-Effectiveness of Different Formulation of Amphotericin B in Private and Public Hospitals in Southern Brazil

BACKGROUND There are several American studies on the costs that the antifungal represents in the hospital bills, but in Brazil we do not have this type of study (WINGARD 2007; GREENE 2007). The American studies cannot be extrapolated to Brazil because the cost of drugs is different as well as other hospital charges. Furthermore, in Brazil spending on public medicine, governed by the Unified Health System (SUS) are different from those employed in the complementary health services (private health services). For these reasons, knowledge of the percentage they represent in the antifungal hospital bills in order to define the actual cost-effectiveness of different formulations of amphotericin B, considering length of hospital adverse events and mortality is needed.

OBJECTIVES:

Determine the direct and indirect hospital costs with different formulations of amphotericin B (deoxycholate, lipid complex and liposomal) in different public and private hospitals in the city of Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

Specifics

1. Measuring the total cost of hospitalization with antifungal treatment.
2. Measure the direct spending each formulation of amphotericin B
3. Measuring the indirect costs related to the nephrotoxicity of different formulations of amphotericin B
4. Assemble a model of cost-effectiveness of different formulations of amphotericin B