Benefits of OTC Medications to Treat URIs: Fact Sheet

About the Study

• Purpose of the study was to compare the costs of upper respiratory infection (URI) treatment with over-the-counter (OTC) medications versus non-treatment
• Researchers created a decision analytic model incorporating a series of key factors associated with the treatment of URIs, including:
  • Impact on work productivity including lost time from work and on the job productivity losses
  • OTC medicine use and side effects
  • Physician care by phone and in office
  • Antibiotic use and side effects
  • Emergency department care
  • Hospital admission for complications of URI and complications of antibiotic use
• Costs were taken from average wholesale prices, MEPS 2001, Medicare payments and medical literature
• OTC medication use was $9 per URI episode less expensive than non-treatment ($184 compared to $193)
• With an average of three URI episodes per year1 among Americans age 18 to 65, this translates into potential savings of $4.75 billion
• The study was conducted by researchers at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, and sponsored by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA)

About Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs)

• URIs may be caused by a variety of factors including the common cold, acute bronchitis, influenza, and chronic or acute sinusitis
• Viruses cause the common cold, most coughs, and the flu while bacteria cause conditions like strep throat and bacterial sinus infections²
• While rarely serious, URIs may contribute to bothersome symptoms such as runny nose, fever, malaise, sore throat, headache, cough, and ear pain
• URIs are generally contagious and are spread by sneezing, coughing, and other contact
• Americans suffer from about 1 billion colds each year³
• Average adults suffer from two to four colds per year¹; some suffer from up to 12 colds per year³
• Approximately 15 million work days are lost each year in the United States due to the common cold³ and each episode results in a loss of 8.7 work hours⁴
• OTC medications are used to relieve the symptoms of viral URIs⁵

¹ American Lung Association. The Common Cold. Available at
http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=34706&ct=67321. Accessed Aug. 18, 2004.
² Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/community//files/CDC_parents_brochure1.pdf. Accessed Sep 27, 2004.
³ Food and Drug Administration. Colds and Flu: Time Only Sure Cure. Article originally appeared in the October 1996 FDA
Consumer; updates to article made in March 1997, February 1998, and May 1999. Available at
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/896_flu.html. Accessed Aug. 18, 2004.
⁴ Bramely, T, Lerner, D, Sarnes, M. Productivity Losses Related to the Common Cold. Journal of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine. 2002 Sept; 44 (9): 822-9.
⁵ National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Available at
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000678.htm. Accessed Sep 27, 2004.