• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Drug May Cut Stroke, Heart-Attack Risk

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 November 2006, 18:00 CST

By ALAN J. MCCOMBS

A new study suggests drugs such as Aleve may have added benefit in preventing heart attacks, though experts say this new finding should not erase patients' caution at using such drugs.

The study, funded by Bayer HealthCare, found that over-the-counter naproxen-based products, such as Bayer's own Aleve, are effective in inhibiting the body's production of platelets. For some people, that could be critical in preventing a heart attack or stroke.

Dr. Michael Schiff, co-author of the study and a consultant with Bayer, said this should be welcome news.

Cardiovascular safety and reassurance is the most significant finding that our patients can bring from this, Schiff said at a news conference.

The study found that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Aleve, when taken at recommended dosage levels, reduced the chance of platelets clumping in arteries. Platelets are essential to healing wounds, but when they clump together and clog blood vessels they can cause a variety of cardiovascular difficulties including heart attack or stroke.

The study, while providing some evidence in support of the drug, does not erase significant questions and concerns surrounding the product, experts said.

The National Institutes of Health halted a three-year study in December 2004 over concerns about naproxen. The study had been testing the power of drugs such as naproxen in combating Alzheimer's disease; the Food and Drug Administration said the study on more than 2,400 seniors was halted when early results showed increased risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.

Public concern over the safety of naproxen after the study was halted was unwarranted, said Dr. Steven Nissen, president of the American College of Cardiology.

Until proven otherwise naproxen should be considered neither neutral nor harmful, said Nissen.

Nissen said the subsequent FDA warning that advised patients to carefully follow the recommended dosage on bottles of naproxen and not to take it for more than 10 days without consulting a doctor was still valid.

Experts agreed that the FDA's recommendations should still be followed, but this information adds to the database doctors have when they have to select drugs, said Dr. Elliot Antman, a spokesman for the American Heart Association.

For Bayer, the study provides increased incentive for doctors to recommend Aleve over rival pain reliever Celebrex, which the FDA also listed as potentially causing heart attacks or strokes. Celebrex, manufactured by Pfizer and available only by prescription, and Bayer are two of the major pharmaceutical companies fighting over the billion-dollar pain-relief drug market.

Evidence such as this may sway doctors to recommend products such as Aleve to patients, said Antman, a cardiologist with Brigham and Women's Hospital.

If I were to go to my office and have a patient with arthritis problems, this information would make me more comfortable in proscribing naproxen vs. Celebrex, said Antman, who has been practicing medicine for more than 30 years.

How much weight the study will carry among doctors is unclear. Three of the study's five authors consult or are directly employed by Bayer, a situation which is not ideal, said Antman.

Merrill Goozner of the Center for Science in the Public Interest said the small scale of the study, which tested 41 people, did not make the results powerful enough to draw conclusions.

That they would try to make a claim about the cardiovascular protective ability (of naproxen) based on a trial of 41 people is unbelievable. It's laughable, said Goozner, a director of the Integrity in Science Project at CSPI. These kinds of trials usually involve thousands and thousands of people.

I wouldn't give it a second's notice, he added.

While the research on its own may not be conclusive, Antman said that this research could provide the scientific underpinnings of future research.

Source: United Press International

More News in this Category