Cost-minimization is a tool used in pharmacoeconomics to compare the cost per course of treatment when alternative therapies have demonstrably equivalent clinical effectiveness. Therapeutic equivalence (including adverse reactions, complications and duration of therapy) must be referenced by the author conducting the study and should have been done prior to the cost-minimization work. Since equal efficacy and equal tolerability is already demonstrated, there is no requirement to find a common efficacy denominator as would be the case when conducting a cost-effectiveness study. The author is not precluded from doing so through the use of "cost/cure" or "cost/year of life gained". If efficacy and tolerability is demonstrated, however, then a simple comparison of "cost/course of treatment" ca