Cost-Effectiveness of Linezolid versus Vancomycin among Patients with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Confirmed Nosocomial Pneumonia in China

Objective: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of intravenous linezolid as a first-line agent against intravenous vancomycin in treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus–confirmed nosocomial pneumonia in four Chinese cities. Methods: A decision-analytic model of 4-week time horizon was used to conduct costeffectiveness analyses from the payer’s perspective. Clinical outcomes and resource use data were derived from a head-to-head trial, supplemented with local cost estimates based on hospital data via an expert panel. A series of scenario analyses were conducted to evaluate the impact of uncertainty around model inputs. All results were reported in 2012 Chinese Renminbi. Results: The predicted probability of overall treatment success was 0.629 and 0.602 for linezolid and vancomycin, respectively. Total inpatient costs varied across the four cities, ranging from ¥58,835 to ¥86,894 for linezolid and ¥58,390 to ¥87,033 for vancomycin, respectively. Linezolid was demonstrated to be a dominant treatment strategy in Guangzhou. In Beijing, Nanjing, ee front matter Copyright & 2014, International S