AUTHORS
Trichard M, Chaufferin G
BOIRON, Sainte-Foy-Lès-Lyon, France

BIOGRAPHY
Gilles Chaufferin, 39, is Health Economics Manager at Boiron, (pharmaceutical company specialized in homeopathic medications). He is in charge of Health Economics and also manager of the evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of homeopathy and real world studies. After obtaining an MBA in Management Control (DESS Contrôle de Gestion) in 1986, he began his career at Boiron. In 1998 he obtained an M.A. in pharmaco-economics (DESS de pharmaco-économie). He is author and co-author of internationally-published articles on the effectiveness evaluation of homeopathy, notably in Health and System Science, British Homeopathic Journal, The European Journal of Health Economics and Value in Health.

ABSTRACT

Objective(s) / Problem(s) to be addressed:

To compare - in terms of medical effectiveness, quality of life, and costs.

1. firstly the health-care strategy of homeopathic GPs with the health-care strategy of non-homeopathic GPs.
2. Homeopathic drugs strategy with the antibiotic drugs strategy in children, in the treatment of recurrent acute rhinopharyngitis.
   

Methods:

We carried out a 6-month prospective, pragmatic’ observational study including children of 18 months to 4 years of age experiencing at least 5 bouts of acute rhinopharyngitis in the year 1999, and who consulted a doctor for the first time in 2000 either for preventive treatment or for a current episode. We set up two independent epidemiological/economic cohorts: one to study the practice of homeopathic GPs, the other to study the practice of non-homeopathic GPs. We assessed: medical effectiveness (bouts of acute rhinopharyngitis, complications), quality of family life with the Par-Ent-Qol© scale, direct medical costs (consultations, medication, additional tests) using public prices and French Social Security tariffs, and indirect costs (sick-leave).

Results:

The first comparison revealed that, for treating recurrent acute rhinopharyngitis, the health care strategy of homeopathic GPs produced better results than that of non-homeopathic GPs in terms of medical effectiveness and quality of life, at equivalent overall cost reimbursed by the National Insurance System and with significantly fewer parental sick-leaves. The second comparison revealed that homeopathic drugs strategy produced better results than the antibiotic drugs strategy in terms of medical effectiveness and quality of life, for fewer overall cost reimbursed by the National Insurance System, and with significantly fewer parental sick-leaves.

Conclusions / Recommandations:

Homeopathy could constitute a cost effective alternative to antibiotics, and so could solve French Public Health Problems caused by these drugs.