Pharmacoeconomics of ocular anti-infective treatments

Pharmacoeconomic evaluations can provide useful information regarding the comparative value among drug treatments for ocular infections. These analyses estimate the value of the set of outcomes (economic, clinical, and humanistic) that result from one treatment and then systematically compare it to the value offered by the set of outcomes that result from an alternative treatment. Many factors can affect the balance of resources used and outcomes achieved among treatment strategies, such as timing to diagnosis of infection, use and accuracy of test to identify appropriate treatment, prophylaxis versus treatment of infection, and variation in efficacy and safety profiles of therapeutic agents employed. This article describes and presents examples of basic pharmacoeconomic analyses that can be used to enhance the treatment selection process for ocular infections.