General probiotic use in the US 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 averted cost of antibiotic prescriptions, less RTI episodes and less sick days causing productivity loss.
Source: Probiotic use can lead to major economic and health savings related to flu-like illnesses