An economic and outcomes assessment of first-line monotherapy in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia within managed care

Abstract

Erythromycin, azithromycin, and clarithromycin were associated with significantly lower total costs than levofloxacin, although treatment success rates did not differ between groups. Following stratification based upon various subset criteria, erythromycin and azithromycin were observed to have significantly lower total costs than levofloxacin. Although these findings may augment clinical guidelines and evidence-based approaches, health plans should consider evaluating their own patient data to see if similar differences exist in their populations.