Study promotes greater use of aspirin

GREATER use of aspirin and other low-cost generic medicines would significantly reduce the toll from heart disease and stroke, according to a seven-year global study.

Known as the PURE report, the study of 150,000 people found that 60% of those with heart disease may not be taking any of the four effective drug types. The PURE researcher team presented their findings at the European Society of Cardiology’s conference in Paris. Heart disease and stroke are the two greatest causes of death globally.

PURE lead researcher Salim Yusuf of the Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton, Ontario, said: “This is a global tragedy. There’s no other way to say this. These are inexpensive, widely available drugs.”

Nurses and other healthcare workers should be trained to encourage patients to take the drugs, since doctors have failed to do so, he said. Cardiovascular disease may cause 23.6 million deaths annually by 2030, up from 17.1 million in 2004, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Researchers looked at anti-platelet drugs such as aspirin, which reduce blood clots, cholesterol-lowering statins, and two types of treatments that lower blood pressure, so-called beta blockers and angiotensin receptor blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. Anthony Heagerty, a cardiologist from the University of Manchester, said: “The study provides a stark message. The implication is that a fresh approach to secondary prevention is needed, especially in high-income countries.”

Canada, Sweden and the UAE were the three high-income countries considered. Middle-income nations included Brazil, Poland, Turkey, China and South Africa. Poorer countries were India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Funders for the study included the Population Health Research Institute and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Drug companies that contributed included AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Les Laboratories Servier and GlaxoSmithKline.