Costs Of Antifungal Prophylaxis After Bone-Marrow Transplantation - A Model Comparing Oral Fluconazole, Liposomal Amphotericin And Oral Polyenes As Prophylaxis Against Oropharyngeal Infections

We used a costs model to compare alternative modes of prophylaxis against oropharyngeal fungal infections in patients with leukaemia or myeloma who had undergone bone marrow transplantation (BMT). We compared 2 innovative pharmaceutical options (oral fluconazole and intravenous liposomal amphotericin) with existing standard practice (oral polyenes). Costs were measured over a 12-week treatment period, and were compared with the 2 effectiveness measures: (i) the avoidance of colonisation or infection; and (ii) the patients' ability to continue with prophylaxis in an uninfected state. The costs and effectiveness of BMT itself were not considered in this evaluation. The costs per successfully treated patient over a 12-week period were pound 28 956 (pound 1 = $US1.60, June 1995) for oral fluconazole, pound 53 225 for liposomal amphotericin and pound 32 768 for oral polyenes. Sensitivity analysis showed that the costs of liposomal amphotericin always exceeded those of the oral comparators, reflecting its high acquisition, preparation and administration costs.