Researchers studied the economic costs of antimicrobial resistance for five pathogens (S. aureus, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, A. baumanii and P. aeruginosa) as well as consumption data for antibiotic classes driving resistance in these organisms. They used this data to calculate the economic cost of antimicrobial resistance per antibiotic consumed for different drug classes, using data from Thailand and the U.S. to represent low/middle and high-income countries.
The study shows the total economic cost of antimicrobial resistance due to resistance in the five pathogens was $500 million in Thailand and $2.9 billion in the U.S. The cost of antimicrobial resistance associated with the consumption of one standard unit of antibiotics ranged from $0.10 for carbapenems to $0.60 for quinolones, cephalosporins and broad-spectrum penicillins.
“The economic costs of antimicrobial resistance per antibiotic consumed were considerable, often exceeding their purchase cost,” study authors wrote. “Notwithstanding their limitations, use of these estimates in economic evaluations can make better-informed policy recommendations regarding interventions that affect antimicrobial consumption and those aimed specifically at reducing the burden of antimicrobial resistance.
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