Impact of a remdesivir formulary restriction by antimicrobial stewardship on drug utilization and cost at a safety-net community hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

Alfredo Jose Mena Lora; Dylan Huber; Ella Li; Romeen Lavani; Mirza Ali; Eden Takhsh; Rodrigo Burgos

doi:10.1017/ash.2024.438

Impact of a remdesivir formulary restriction by antimicrobial stewardship on drug utilization and cost at a safety-net community hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2024 Oct 7;4(1):e164. doi: 10.1017/ash.2024.438. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Alfredo Jose Mena Lora^{1

2}, Dylan Huber², Ella Li², Romeen Lavani², Mirza Ali², Eden Takhsh², Rodrigo Burgos¹

Affiliations

¹ University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
² Saint Anthony Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA.

Abstract

Deploying novel COVID-19 therapies proved challenging amid rapidly evolving data, drug shortages, and conflicting guidelines. We established a remdesivir formulary restriction remdesivir to promote its evidence-based use. This intervention led to changes in remdesivir utilization patterns and cost savings. Formulary restrictions can play an important role in pandemic preparedness and response.