Complementary drug savings
November 7, 2012
THE value of complementary
medicines to the Australian
economy is $7.66 billion per
annum, according to a new study
by UMR Research.
Commissioned by Swisse, the
study involved an online survey
using a nationally representative
sample of 1,000 adults weighted
and matched to ABS census data
with the objective of quantifying, in
dollar terms, the benefits to the
economy and savings to the health
budget from complementary
medicines.
During the study, researchers
found that complementary
medicines provide $7.66b to the
economy, comprised of $5.1 billion
in savings from fewer sick leave
days per annum; $591 million in
savings to the Govt from fewer GP
visits annually; and $1.425 billion in
savings to the PBS from fewer
prescription medicines annually.
In addition, researchers found
that the reduction in GP visits and
prescription medicines caused via
the use of complementary
medicines reduced community out
of pocket expenses for consumers
by at least $543 million per annum.
“To put it simply, that saving is
almost double the amount spent by
the Federal Government on
childcare fee assistance, four times
the amount spent on the ABC and
SBS combined and approximately
the same amount spent on higher
education,” a Swisse statement
said.
“It could even buy fifteen
thousand Australian homes, based
on the median house price data,”
the statement added.
To reach a figure for fewer sick
days, researchers noted that 34%
of workers who take
complementary medicines believe
that they have fewer sick days,
meaning that 3.206 million people
currently employed have fewer sick
days per year because they take
CMs.
For the whole sample of
employed Australians (9.429
million people), researchers found
that there was a net reduction of
2.0 sick days taken per year
because of complementary
medicines.
This means that there were
18.858 million fewer sick days
taken in the past year.
Meanwhile in analysing GP
visitation data, researchers found
that 24% of Australians who take
CMs said that due to
complementary medicines they
had fewer visits to the general
practitioner (GP) in the past year.
Researchers also noted that the
average (net) reduction in GP visits
per person in the overall survey, in
their own estimate, was 1.2 per
year.
Looking at PBS savings,
researchers said that of the 79% of
Australians who take CMs 19% of
users of (approximately 2.630
million people) believed that
because they take complementary
medicines, they were prescribed
fewer prescriptions.
The average reduction in
prescriptions per person in the
overall survey (net) was 2.2 scripts
per year.
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