Heartburn Aid May Ease Effects Of Arthritis Drugs
Science catching up with Peter, Zeta, et al. For further complications I added a number of leads from Science News at the bottom [articles by subscription only] - Doc
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
May 19, 2005; Page D2
CHICAGO -- Older arthritis treatments taken in combination with a heartburn drug may be easier on the stomach than medications such as the recalled painkiller Vioxx that were touted as causing fewer stomach problems, researchers in a drug maker-sponsored review said.
Arthritis sufferers who had taken Merck & Co.'s Vioxx and a similar drug withdrawn by Pfizer Inc. are switching to a mix of older, anti-inflammatory medications taken in combination with a popular heartburn drug to prevent stomach damage.
Taken alone, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are blamed for up to 16,000 deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding in the U.S. Cox-2 inhibitors, which include Vioxx and Pfizer's withdrawn Bextra, were designed to be easier on the stomach. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs include ibuprofen and naproxen and are sold under brand names such as Advil and Aleve.
The study of the drugs taken in combination, presented at the Digestive Disease Week conference in Chicago and funded by heartburn drug maker TAP Pharmaceuticals, looked at side effects of upset stomachs, but didn't look at the more serious problem of gastrointestinal bleeding.
TAP Pharmaceuticals is a joint venture between Abbott Laboratories Inc. and Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., which sells the heartburn drug Prevacid.
The authors said upset stomach and heartburn are much more common complications of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and a significant cost driver. The broad analysis of data from 32 studies found that the drug combination lessened the risk of upset stomach, versus taking just a Cox-2 inhibitor.
The older arthritis drugs have the added benefit of being cheaper, researchers said.
"In the end it is mostly a cost issue," said Brennan Spiegel, a study author and physician at the Veteran's Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. "It is also a quality of life issue if ongoing [upset stomach] is not well treated," he said.
Larry Sasich, a pharmacist at consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said stomach bleeding makes the older painkillers risky.
online.wsj.com
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