Amazon Pharmacy Web Crawled Data: Analyzing Factors Contributing to Cost-Effective Medicines (Cold/Allergy/Digestion/Pain)

This study uses machine learning to identify critical factors influencing the cost-effectiveness of over-the-counter (OTC) medications. By developing a novel cost-effectiveness rating (CER) based on user ratings and prices, we analyzed data from Amazon. The findings indicate that Flexible Spending Account (FSA)/ Health Savings Account (HSA) eligibility, symptom treatment range, safety warnings, special effects, active ingredients, and packaging size significantly impact cost-effectiveness across cold, allergy, digestion, and pain relief medications. Medications eligible for FSA or HSA funds, treating a broader range of symptoms, and having smaller packaging are perceived as more cost-effective. Cold medicines with safety warnings were cost-effective due to their lower average price and effective ingredients like phenylephrine and acetaminophen. Allergy medications with kid-friendly features showed higher cost-effectiveness, and ingredients like calcium, famotidine, and magnesium boosted the cost-effectiveness of digestion medicines. These insights help consumers make informed purchasing decisions and assist manufacturers and retailers in enhancing product competitiveness. Overall, this research supports better decision-making in the pharmaceutical industry by highlighting factors that drive cost-effective medication purchases.

本研究借助机器学习技术，识别影响非处方（Over-the-Counter, OTC）药物成本效益的关键因素。本研究基于用户评分与药品价格，构建了一种全新的成本效益评分（Cost-Effectiveness Rating, CER）体系，并对亚马逊（Amazon）平台的相关数据展开分析。研究结果显示，在感冒、过敏、消化类及止痛类药物中，灵活支出账户（Flexible Spending Account, FSA）/健康储蓄账户（Health Savings Account, HSA）使用资格、症状治疗覆盖范围、安全警示信息、特殊功效、活性成分以及包装规格，均会对药物的成本效益产生显著影响。具备FSA或HSA资金使用资格、可治疗更多种类症状且包装规格更小的药物，被认为具有更高的成本效益。带有安全警示的感冒药物因平均售价更低且含有去氧肾上腺素（phenylephrine）、对乙酰氨基酚（acetaminophen）等活性成分，具备更高的成本效益。带有儿童友好特性的抗过敏药物成本效益更高；而钙、法莫替丁（famotidine）以及镁（magnesium）等成分，则可提升消化类药物的成本效益。这些研究结论可为消费者提供科学的采购决策参考，同时助力药品制造商与零售商提升产品竞争力。总体而言，本研究通过明确驱动高成本效益药物采购的关键因素，为制药行业的科学决策提供了有力支撑。