More pressure on the FDA:
California Empowers Its Seniors to Help Reduce Risk of Ulcers and BleedingCaused by Pain Relievers
State Groups Launch Unprecedented Public Health Campaign on NSAID Risks
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in the country, a
powerful alliance of senior groups, medical societies, healthcare
organizations, corporations, government representatives and consumer advocates
in California has rallied to combat what has been described in medical
journals as one of the most prevalent serious drug toxicities in the United
States.(1)
Stomach ulcers, bleeding and other complications caused by prolonged use
of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are responsible for the
deaths of more Americans each year than skin cancer.(2) Particularly hard-hit
are people over age 60. With California's ever-expanding elderly population
already the largest in the nation, NSAID complications pose a growing public
health concern.
"We have the responsibility and the opportunity to empower our senior
citizens to help reduce hospitalizations and deaths due to the complications
of prolonged NSAID use," said John Kehoe, Executive Director of the California
Commission on Aging. "We are pleased to announce the formation of the
California REDUCE Coalition (CRC), a group organized specifically to conduct
the largest statewide public health campaign ever to educate and mobilize
seniors to discuss NSAID risks."
In recognition of the CRC's agenda and the launch of the statewide REDUCE
campaign, the California State Legislature has declared November 17, 1998
"NSAID Risk Awareness Day" in a resolution sponsored by California Assembly
Member Elaine Alquist.
What are NSAIDs?
NSAIDs are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs available by prescription
or over-the-counter. They are commonly used to treat pain, arthritis, and/or
inflammation. Examples of NSAIDs include ibuprofen, naproxen, ketoprofen, and
aspirin.(3) They are among the most relied upon pain relievers in the world,
used extensively by the 40 million Americans with arthritis. In California
alone, an estimated four million prescriptions are written for NSAIDs yearly.
Unfortunately, people who take NSAIDs are frequently at greater risk of
developing stomach complications, such as ulcers and bleeding.(4) NSAIDs
damage the protective lining of the stomach, and over time, these
complications may develop. Older people are at increased risk because the
normal protective mechanisms of the stomach decline with age, making the
stomach more vulnerable to the effects of NSAIDs. NSAID complications are the
second most common cause of ulcers and result in approximately
107,000 hospitalizations and 16,500 deaths annually in the U.S.(5)
"This issue is so important to the CRC members because our constituents
are seniors who have a high prevalence of arthritis and are among the highest
users of NSAIDs," said Lois Wellington, President of the Congress of
California Seniors. "Now the CRC provides the platform from which we can
effectively raise awareness about NSAID safety among a very broad audience."
About CRC
CRC is the first statewide extension of the national REDUCE (Risk
Education to Decrease Ulcer Complications and their Effects from NSAIDs)
campaign begun earlier this year by the American Gastroenterological
Association (AGA) and Searle, a pharmaceutical company specializing in
arthritis therapy. A national consumer survey conducted for the REDUCE
campaign revealed that most Americans are unaware or unconcerned that NSAIDs
may cause serious stomach problems.(6)
"Only one in five people who develops a serious stomach complication
related to NSAID-use experiences any prior warning sign," said AGA President
Donald O. Castell, MD, Kimbel Professor and chair of the department of
Medicine at Allegheny University Hospitals, Graduate. "We have documented
many misperceptions about NSAIDs; almost everyone underestimates their
personal risk of developing an NSAID-related complication. Unfortunately,
those most likely to underestimate their risk are over age 60 -- the very
group that is most vulnerable."
The dramatic knowledge gap about NSAIDs among the over-60 age group is a
red flag pointing to the need for more intervention and is the driving
principle behind the formation of CRC.
What Can Be Done
Beginning this fall, the CRC member organizations will conduct free Ulcer
Risk Screening & Awareness Events utilizing a powerful new medical screening
test developed by Gurkirpal Singh, MD, a nationally-renowned rheumatologist
and clinical assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Immunology and
Rheumatology at Stanford University School of Medicine.
The new medical screening test, known as SCORE (Standardized Calculator of
Risk for Events), was based on data from the Arthritis, Rheumatism and Aging
Medical Information System (ARAMIS) database. The SCORE calculator poses a
series of simple questions concerning risk factors, including age, overall
health, development of rheumatoid arthritis, use of oral corticosteroids,
history of ulcers or other gastrointestinal (GI) complications, and past
stomach upset related to NSAIDs. Each answer is given a score and the
cumulative total at the end of the screening gives the responder's risk level
for developing ulcers or other GI complications.
SCORE results, personal risk profiles, and alternative therapies to
protect against NSAID-induced ulcers should be discussed with a medical
professional before making any medical decisions in response to these
materials.
The Ulcer Risk Screening & Awareness Events will take place at local
senior, medical and community centers throughout California, and will be
complemented by a direct mail program to 25,000 seniors. Additionally, the
national REDUCE campaign is offering free interactive ulcer risk screening and
counseling to anyone in the country via the toll-free number 877-REDUCE1
(877-733-8231); callers can speak live with a trained operator. Screening
also is available via the Internet at www.seniors.org, the web site for the
California Congress of Seniors.
More About CRC
The California REDUCE Coalition was founded to address the need for
improved awareness about NSAID-induced ulcer risk, particularly among
high-risk groups such as arthritis sufferers. The CRC is a group of concerned
organizations which have come together to focus their resources on a single,
critical public health issue -- NSAID-related stomach ulcers and bleeding.
Through its efforts, the CRC seeks to empower seniors to understand their
risks and work with health professionals to decrease them.
About AGA
Founded in 1897, the American Gastroenterological Association is one of
the oldest medical specialty societies in the United States. Its members are
physicians and scientists whose practice and research involves the functioning
and disorders of the gastrointestinal system.
The AGA fosters the development of knowledge of digestive functions and
diseases and the improvement of care for patients who suffer from digestive
disorders. For more information about the AGA, visit the organization's
website: www.gastro.org.
About Searle
Searle, the pharmaceutical sector of Monsanto Company, is a research-based
company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription pharmaceuticals
worldwide. Based in Skokie, Illinois, it is the world's third-largest
marketer of arthritis treatments. For more information on Searle, visit the
company's website: www.searlehealthnet.com.
(1) Singh G et al. Gastrointestinal Tract Complications of Non-steroidal
Anti-inflammatory Drug Treatment in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Archives of
Internal Medicine. 1996; 156: 1530-1536.
(2) Anderson RN et al. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics Report of Final Mortality
Statistics, 1995. Monthly Vital Statistics Report. 1997; 45 (11) (suppl 2).
(3) Note: Acetaminophen is not an NSAID.
(4) Bocanegra TS et al Diclofenac/Misoprostol Compared with Diclofenac
in Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee or Hip: A Randomized, Placebo-
Controlled Trial. J Rheumatology. 1998: 25; 1602-1611.
(5) Singh G. Recent Considerations in Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory
Drug Gastropathy. The American Journal of Medicine. 1998; 105 (1B).
(6) Roper Starch Worldwide NSAID Risk Survey, January 1998.'
SOURCE Searle
CO: California REDUCE Coalition; American Gastroenterological Association;
Searle; Monsanto Company
ST: California
IN: HEA MTC
SU:
11/17/98 10:22 EST prnewswire.com
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