title: Anthropometrically derived dosing and drug costing calculations for treating visceral leishmaniasis in Bihar, India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate drug costs of treating visceral leishmaniasis (VL) based on data on the VL population structure from the high-burden, antimony-resistant area of Northern Bihar, India.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Paromomycin is the cheapest option ($7450 to treat 1000 patients). Treating 1000 patients with oral miltefosine would cost $119,250 at the current private market price or $64,383-$75,129 at preferential public sector price depending on the size of the order. With AmBisome it would be $163,600 or $229,500 depending on the dose (10 or 15 mg/kg total). These costs are without considering other direct costs (daily intramuscular injections for 3 weeks for paromomycin; intravenous devices and hospitalization for AmBisome; directly observed treatment if applied for miltefosine) and indirect costs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These calculations provide useful basic information for projections.
authors.affiliation: UNICEF/UNDP/WB/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), Geneva, Switzerland. olliarop@who.int
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Olliaro
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sundar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics; D008081:Liposomes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010303:Paromomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D008081:Liposomes; C068538:liposomal amphotericin B; D010767:Phosphorylcholine; C039128:miltefosine; D010303:Paromomycin; D000666:Amphotericin B