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Shorter antibiotic course for acne treatment could greatly decrease costs

Decreasing antibiotic treatment courses for adolescent acne from more than 6 months to 6 months resulted in an average savings of more than 29% per person, researchers found.

A retrospective cohort study used data from the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database of employees, retirees and dependents of more than 250 employers nationwide to determine medication durations and costs.

The study population consisted of 29,908 patients (mean age, 15.48 years) who were continuously enrolled with at least two claims for a diagnosis of acne. Overall mean treatment course duration was 129 days. The majority of courses (93%) lasted less than 270 days.

The costs of courses lasting longer than 179 days were compared with the costs of courses for the first 179 days. Mean savings per person was $580.99, or 29.29%, according to the researchers.

The mean and median course duration with topical retinoid use was 133 and 100 days. Out of 31,634 qualifying antibiotics courses, 18,280 (57.8%) did not include concomitant topical retinoid therapy, demonstrating “a practice gap that may be contributing to prolonged or multiple courses as a result of potentially preventable relapses,” according to the researchers.

Disclosure: The study was funded through a clinical research grant from the American Acne and Rosacea Society.