In First- and Second-Line Treatment of Clostridium Difficile Infection, Nearly 70 Percent of Surveyed Infectious Disease Specialists and Internists Will Use Fidaxomicin and Ne…

WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ — Decision Resources,
one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms for
pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, in first- and
second-line treatment of Clostridium difficile
infection (CDI), nearly 70 percent of surveyed infectious
disease specialists and internists will use Optimer’s fidaxomicin
and nearly half will use Medarex/Merck’s CDA1 and CDB1, one year
after the launch of these agents. The lower recurrent/relapse rate
associated with fidaxomicin and CDA1/CDB1 is the most influential
attribute surveyed clinicians cite in their decisions to prescribe
these emerging agents for CDI.

The new Physician & Payer Forum report entitled Hospital
Anti-Infectives: Insights on the Uptake and Formulary Inclusion of
Emerging Antibiotics and Antifungals—A Survey of Infectious
Disease Specialists, Internists and P&T Committee Members
finds that fidaxomicin and, to a higher degree, CDA1/CDB1, will
also see robust uptake by surveyed clinicians for the treatment of
recurrent CDI. The report also finds that approximately two-thirds
of pharmacy and therapeutics committee (P&T) members expect to
include fidaxomicin and CDA1/CDB1 on their hospital’s
formulary.

Fidaxomicin and CDA1/CDB1 would provide much needed options for
the treatment of CDI as the only currently available agents in this
indication are Pfizer’s metronidazole (generically available) and
ViroPharma’s Vancocin. According to the report, unmet need
for novel anti-infectives is shifting away from
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to CDI
and gram-negative infections.

“In addition to MRSA, infectious disease specialists report a
rise in CDI and gram-negative infections,” said Decision Resources
Therap

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