TY - JOUR
T1 - A retrospective analysis of the duration of oral antibiotic therapy for the treatment of acne among adolescents
T2 - Investigating practice gaps and potential cost-savings
AU - Lee, Young H.
AU - Liu, Guodong
AU - Thiboutot, Diane M.
AU - Leslie, Douglas L.
AU - Kirby, Joslyn S.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank the American Acne and Rosacea Society for their funding of this study through the Clinical Research Grant.
Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2014/7
Y1 - 2014/7
N2 - Background Duration of oral antibiotic therapy in acne has not been widely studied. Recent guidelines suggest it should be limited to 3 to 6 months. Objective We sought to compare the duration of oral antibiotic use with recent guidelines and determine the potential cost-savings related to shortened durations. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study from the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database. Claims data were used to determine duration and costs of antibiotic therapy. Results The mean course duration was 129 days. The majority (93%) of courses were less than 9 months. Among the 31,634 courses, 18,280 (57.8%) did not include concomitant topical retinoid therapy. The mean (95% confidence interval) duration with and without topical retinoid use was 133 (131.5-134.7) days and 127 (125.4-127.9) days, respectively. The mean excess direct cost of antibiotic treatment for longer than 6 months was $580.99/person. Limitations Claims cannot be attributed to a specific diagnosis or provider. The database does not provide information on acne severity. Conclusions Duration of antibiotic use is decreasing when compared with previous data. However, 5547 (17.53%) courses exceeded 6 months, highlighting an opportunity for reduced antibiotic use. If courses greater than 6 months were shortened to 6 months, savings would be $580.99/person.
AB - Background Duration of oral antibiotic therapy in acne has not been widely studied. Recent guidelines suggest it should be limited to 3 to 6 months. Objective We sought to compare the duration of oral antibiotic use with recent guidelines and determine the potential cost-savings related to shortened durations. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study from the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database. Claims data were used to determine duration and costs of antibiotic therapy. Results The mean course duration was 129 days. The majority (93%) of courses were less than 9 months. Among the 31,634 courses, 18,280 (57.8%) did not include concomitant topical retinoid therapy. The mean (95% confidence interval) duration with and without topical retinoid use was 133 (131.5-134.7) days and 127 (125.4-127.9) days, respectively. The mean excess direct cost of antibiotic treatment for longer than 6 months was $580.99/person. Limitations Claims cannot be attributed to a specific diagnosis or provider. The database does not provide information on acne severity. Conclusions Duration of antibiotic use is decreasing when compared with previous data. However, 5547 (17.53%) courses exceeded 6 months, highlighting an opportunity for reduced antibiotic use. If courses greater than 6 months were shortened to 6 months, savings would be $580.99/person.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jaad.2014.02.031
DO - 10.1016/j.jaad.2014.02.031
M3 - Article
C2 - 24725476
AN - SCOPUS:84903279007
SN - 0190-9622
VL - 71
SP - 70
EP - 76
JO - Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
JF - Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
IS - 1
ER -