SAN DIEGO, April 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Optimer
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:
OPTR) announced today the presentation of information from
insurance claims and survey databases highlighting the unmet need
for targeted therapies to treat subpopulations at high risk of
recurrence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).
 The research also presented the substantial mortality and
frequent complications associated with CDI.  Investigator Erik
R. Dubberke, M.D., M.S.P.H., of the Washington University School of
Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, presented data at the 21st Annual
Scientific Meeting of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of
America (SHEA) in Dallas, Texas.  Data for this research were
obtained from the 2008 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 2009 Medicare
Provider Analysis and Review file, Florida fiscal year 2006-2007
Medicaid claims and 2007-2008 Medicare 5% Standard Analytical
Files.

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Dr. Dubberke presented the demographic and clinical
characteristics of hospital inpatient CDI cases showing that the
average CDI patient was 68 years old, more than half were female,
and in total, 83% of CDI cases surveyed were from at least one of
the following subpopulations: patients with renal impairment (36%),
patients aged greater than age 80 (34%), patients aged 65-79 (33%),
cancer patients (16%), inflammatory bowel disease patients (5%),
organ transplant patients (2%), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
patients (1%), or bone marrow transplant patients (0.4%).
 Each of these subpopulations are considered to be at high
risk of recurrence or mortality from CDI.

Dr. Dubberke also presented data showing that Medicare was the
largest payer in the CDI cases surveyed (68%), followed by private
insurance (19%), and Medic

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