Ear Infections Can Be Effectively Treated By Inexpensive Antibiotics

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Ear Infections Can Be Effectively Treated By Inexpensive Antibiotics

Treating ear infections is the most common reason for giving children antibiotics, and expensive antibiotics are not any more effective than inexpensive antibiotics, a new study in the October issue of Pediatrics reported.

The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center study found that changing prescribing patterns could substantially reduce treatment costs without compromising short-term outcomes. Stephen Berman, MD, professor of pediatrics at the CU-Health Sciences Center and lead investigator on the study, examined records of more than 288,000 children 13 years or younger during 1991 and 1992 who were enrolled in Colorado's Medicaid program.

The study found that amoxicillin accounted for almost half of the total antibiotic prescriptions, but for only 9 percent to 10 percent of the expenditures. More expensive antibiotics prescribed in 30 percent of the prescriptions generated 76 percent to 77 percent of the expenditures.

"There was a wide variation in the selection of antibiotics used to treat new ear infections, but the outcomes associated with more expensive antibiotics were not better than those with less expensive antibiotics," Dr. Berman said. "If half of the more expensive prescriptions written in 1992 were written for amoxicillin instead, the Medicaid program could have saved $399,412."

In addition to Dr. Berman, who is an attending physician at The Child Health Clinic at The Children's Hospital and director of health policy at the CU-Health Sciences Center, co-authors of the study included Patricia Byrns, MD; Jessica Bondy, MS; Pamela Smith, PharmD, MBA, and Dennis Lezotte, PhD.

The study was supported by a grant from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.

The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center is one of four campuses in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver, Colo., the campus includes schools of medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry, a graduate school, and two hospitals.

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