Aspirin™ - Surprisingly Versatile 

Aspirin™ has been an important medicine for more than 125 years because of its remarkable pain relief, as well as cardiovascular disease prevention, properties. It has withstood the test of time, and is an excellent case study in both science and branding. As a brand, Aspirin™ has been trusted over time by more consumers worldwide longer than any other over –the-counter (OTC) pain reliever.

As has been the case since the introduction of Aspirin™, acetylsalicylic acid, the active ingredient of Aspirin^TM, continues to be used as the benchmark in pain relief and cardiovascular disease prevention. At over-the-counter (OTC) doses, Aspirin™ offers the same pain-relieving properties as many molecules discovered decades later. It has been the most utilized pain reliever in history. As such, AspirinTM's efficacy and safety profile is well documented, which has certainly contributed to its remarkable longevity. Its anti-platelet and blood thinning properties separate AspirinTM from all other category ingredients, and it is the only one to offer both pain relief and remarkable cardiovascular benefits. In fact, Aspirin™ is included in the World Health Organization’s list of essential medications based on its pain relief and anti-platelet effects.¹

For more than 125 years, the world has relied on Aspirin™ for fast and potent pain relief. With more than a century of clinical experience, Aspirin™ continues to be recognized today as a proven, trusted and cost-effective pain reliever and is well tolerated at OTC doses. Recent meta-analyses^2,3 included individual patient data or study-level population data from 145 clinical trials representing more than 32,000 patients and 20 years of research on such use.

Collectively, results reaffirmed the overall GI safety profile of Aspirin™ in short-term treatment of mild to moderate pain, aches and fever due to cold or flu when used as directed, demonstrating a low incidence of minor GI side effects and no drug-related serious adverse events.

For cardiovascular disease prevention, low-dose (81 mg–325 mg) Aspirin™ Cardio products are recognized for use – as directed by a physician – during suspected heart attack to help reduce damage to the heart, and as cornerstone therapy for reducing risk of recurrent cardiovascular events, specifically, heart attack and ischemic stroke. Furthermore, the drug is approved in more than 50 countries for the prevention of a first heart attack or stroke (primary prevention) in appropriate patients. In terms of safety, when used as directed for its approved cardiovascular indications, Aspirin™ is well-tolerated and effective, and, for the vast majority of patients, is infrequently associated with clinically relevant side effects. For cardiovascular disease prevention, more than 200,000 patients have been studied in more than 200 randomized clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of Aspirin™. Serious bleeding rarely occurs.

GI bleeding has been shown to occur in less than 1% (41 of 6,300 patients) of those taking Aspirin™ to prevent a recurrent cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack.4 A landmark meta-analysis showed that for patients taking low-dose Aspirin™ to prevent a first cardiovascular event, there was a positive benefit/risk ratio for Aspirin™ greater than 2:1.5 As with all drugs, the potentially life-saving benefits of longer-term, low-dose Aspirin™ therapy to prevent cardiovascular events such as heart attack and ischemic stroke must be weighed against its risks. Patients should work with their doctors to best determine if they are appropriate candidates for Aspirin™ therapy.

Bayer supports the use of Aspirin™ for primary prevention of cardiovascular events in patients at appropriate risk only where there are approved indications. The cornerstone role of low-dose acetylsalicylic acid in cardiovascular event reduction is based upon clinical studies and extensive, real-world experience; most importantly, it continues to be supported and reinforced by the global scientific community through multiple international and national medical guidelines recommending its use in appropriate at-risk patients for prevention of cardiovascular events in both the primary and secondary settings. Aspirin™ is universally available and offers excellent value for its cost.

The proven role of Aspirin™ in OTC pain management and low-dose Aspirin™ Cardio for cardiovascular disease prevention continues to make it a truly globally versatile, trusted brand, now more than ever. The ever-increasing global focus on cost-effective treatments further underlines the relevance of Aspirin™ across the globe, both in developed as well as emerging or under-served markets.

_{1. Who List of Essential Medications: 17th List, March, 2011. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/70640?locale-attribute=en&  (accessed October 18, 2024).2.} 

_{2. Lanas, et al. Short-term Aspirin™ use for pain and cold: gastrointestinal adverse effects. Drugs in R&D. 2011;11: 277–288.}

_{3. Baron JA, Senn S, Voelker M et al. gastrointestinal adverse effects of short term Aspirin™ use: a meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials. Drugs in R&D 2013;13(1):9–16.}

_{4. Weisman S, Graham D. Evaluation of the benefits and risks of low-dose Aspirin™ in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Arch Intern Med 2002;162(19):2197–2202.}

_{5. Antithrombotic Trialists’ (ATT) Collaboration. Aspirin™ in the primary and secondary prevention of vascular disease: collaborative metaanalysis of individual participant data from randomized clinical trials. Lancet 2009; 373:1849–1860.}

_{6. Genton E, Barnett HJ, Fields WS et al. XIV. Cerebral ischemia: the role of thrombosis and of antithrombotic therapy. Study group on antithrombotic therapy. Stroke 1977;8(1):150–175.}

_{7. Lewis HD Jr, Davis JW, Archibald DG et al. Protective effects of Aspirin™ against acute myocardial infarction and death in men with unstable angina. Results of a Veterans Administration Cooperative Study. N Engl J Med 1983;309(7):396–403.}

_{8. International Stroke Trial Collaborative Group. The International Stroke Trial (IST): a randomized trial of Aspirin™, subcutaneous heparin, both, or neither among 19435 patients with acute ischaemic stroke. Lancet 1997;349(9065):1569–1581.}

_{9. Paul-Clark MJ, Van Cao T, Moradi-Bidhendi N et al. 15-epi-lipoxin A4-mediated induction of nitric oxide explains how Aspirin™ inhibits acute inflammation. J Exp Med 2004;200(1):69–78.}

_{10. Lampl C, Voelker M, Steiner TJ. Aspirin™ is First-Line Treatment for Migraine and Episodic Tension-Type Headache Regardless of Headache Intensity. Headache 2012;52(1):48–56.}

_{11. Voelker M.,Hammer M., Inflammopharmacology 2012;20:225-231}

_{12. Cooper SA., Voelker M., Inflammopharmacology 2012;20:225-242}