Cost Comparisons among Antimicrobial Agents

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Abstract
To the Editor: A common cost-containment strategy in hospitals is to select the least expensive drug from a group of agents largely equivalent in terms of efficacy and toxicity. First-generation cephalosporins (cephalothin, cefazolin, and cephapirin) and beta-lactamase-resistant penicillins constitute such a group. When a selection is made from among a group of drugs, hospital formulary committees have traditionally based their decisions on the cost per gram of drug.1 " 4 However, such a comparison ignores pharmacologic differences between drugs and the actual cost (to the patient) of receiving the antimicrobial.We determined the charges to the patient for antimicrobial agents by surveying . . .

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