Aspirin is okay for seconds
January 16, 2012
THE Australian Self-Medication
Industry has come out in defence
of aspirin, saying its low-dose use
as a secondary preventative
measure against future
cardiovascular events and strokes,
for patients who have previously
had a heart attack or stroke, is not
controversial.
The comments come on the back
of a recent report titled ‘Effect of
Aspirin on Vascular and
Nonvascular Outcomes:
Meta-analysis of Randomized
Controlled Trials’ which looked at
a large number of primary
prevention studies on the use of
low-dose aspirin in patients without
previous cardiovascular disease
and found that the benefits of
aspirin may not outweigh the risks
for those patients.
Speaking out in the wake of the
study, ASMI Regulatory and
Scientific Affairs Director, Steven
Scarff, said that the drug is one of
the most extensively studied
medications in history with a 110-
year track record of safety and
efficacy across a range of doses
and indications.
“The use of low-dose aspirin
products to help prevent blood
clotting and reduce the risk of
heart attack and stroke in patients
with blood vessel disorders is well
established,” ASMI said.
“Products for this purpose (i.e.
secondary prevention) are available
in Australia without prescription
but should only be used under
medical supervision,” ASMI added.
Speaking about the use of lowdose
aspirin in patients without
previous cardiovascular disease,
Scarff said the review’s findings
were in keeping with the
Australian National Heart
Foundation’s current position
which does not recommend lowdose
aspirin in patients without
existing coronary heart disease,
stroke or other forms of vascular
disease such as heart attack or
angina.
“Any decision to use low-dose
aspirin to prevent heart attack or
stroke should be based on the
individual’s absolute risk of
cardiovascular disease and on their
doctor’s assessment of the totality
of evidence of the benefits and the
risks for that individual patient,”
said Scarff.
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