Cost-effectiveness analysis of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections: Yuxingcao Qinlan mixture versus LanQin oral liquid-A prospective study

IntroductionTraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and common cold in Asian countries for over 2000 years. However, only few well designed Chinese studies have assessed TCM for URTI treatment. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to perform an economic evaluation to assess the cost-effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine by comparing Yuxingcao Qinlan Mixture and LanQin oral liquid, for the treatment of URTIsMethodsA patient-level data based cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted on prospectively collected data from a single center from July 2014 to April 2015. Data were collected from patients suffering from acute URTIs who were treated with Chinese medicine, either Yuxingcao Qinlan Mixture or LanQin oral liquid at E.N.T. Department, WuHan General Hospital of Guang Zhou Military.ResultsNo significant differences were found between the two groups in response and cure rates at three and five days, respectively (P > 0.05). In cost minimization analysis, a significant difference in cost between the two groups was found (P < 0.05). Patients paid more for LanQin oral liquid. Sensitivity analyses showed that these results were consistent.ConclusionsResponse and cure rates were similar in the Yuxingcao Qinlan Mixture and LanQin oral liquid treatment groups. The main difference was cost, whether total- or drug cost. Yuxingcao Qinlan Mixture is more cost-effective than LanQin oral liquid.