Research shows OPAT drugs should be first used on inpatients to penetrate the market

While more than three quarters of surveyed infectious disease specialists are willing to prescribe Durata’s Dalvance (dalbavancine), and The Medicine Company’s Orbactiv (oritavancin) for use as outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT), approximately two thirds of the respondents reported a willingness to prescribe these agents to their hospital inpatients, according to analysis and data provider Decision Resources Group.

The company’s findings show that 64% of OPAT patients are initiated on OPAT following hospital discharge, and most are discharged on OPAT on the same antibiotic they were given as inpatients.

It concludes that new antibiotics looking to gain ground in the OPAT market much be included on hospital formularies and become preferred agents in hospital inpatient treatment.