Infectious Disease Specialists Surveyed on C. difficile Infection Treatment

Decision Resources, a market research and advisory firm for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, reports 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, "Hospital Anti-Infectives: Insights on the Uptake and Formulary Inclusion of Emerging Antibiotics and AntifungalsA 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 therapeutic area director Danielle Drayton, PhD. "Over the past 12 months, 82 percent of surveyed infectious disease specialists observed an increase in the incidence of ESBL-producing enterobacteriaceae while more than half of surveyed clinicians also point to an increase in the incidence of CDI and MRSA. Drugs that target key gram-negative pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and ESBL-producing enterobacteriaceae and Clostridium difficile stand to address a key unmet need and will capitalize on untapped market opportunities."

The report also finds that Forest/AstraZeneca/Takeda's ceftaroline and Trius's torezolid are the two late-stage emerging therapies that are most likely to gain formulary inclusion, according to surveyed P&T committee members. Seventy one percent of surveyed P&T committee members expect torezolid to be on formulary and 62 percent expect ceftaroline to be on formulary.

The report is based on a U.S. survey of 51 infectious disease specialists, 52 internal medicine specialists and 21 infectious disease specialists who sit on their hospitals' P&T committee.