Probiotic Use Can Lead to Major Economic and Health Savings Related to Flu-like Illnesses
UC Davis Health (Defunct)General probiotic use in the U.S. could save the health care payer and the economy around $1.4 billion in medical bills and lost productivity due to acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs), a new study found. The researchers developed an economic model to estimate the cost savings by simulating a population representative of the national demographics. The savings included the cost of averted antibiotic prescriptions, RTI episodes and sick days causing productivity loss.