HuckleB
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Thu Mar-31-05 12:14 AM
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Aspirin Beats (more expensive blood thinner) Coumadin for Brain Blockage |
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Aspirin Beats Coumadin for Brain Blockagehttp://my.webmd.com/content/Article/103/107002.htm"Aspirin is safer and no less effective than Coumadin for treating dangerously blocked brain arteries, a major new study shows.
That's both good news and bad news. The good news is that many patients with blocked brain arteries may be able to avoid the expense and complications of treatment with Coumadin (also known by its generic name, warfarin). The bad news is that despite treatment, more than one in five patients suffers stroke, brain hemorrhage, or death within two years.
Brain artery narrowing -- what doctors call intracranial arterial stenosis -- happens when fatty deposits build up in the blood vessels of the brain, reducing blood flow. It causes about one in 10 strokes and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), also known as ministrokes.
At least half of U.S. doctors treat this condition with the powerful blood thinner Coumadin, says Emory University neurologist Marc Chimowitz, MD. Chimowitz led a major study to find out whether Coumadin really works better than high-dose aspirin for patients with brain artery blockage. The findings appear in the March 31 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
..."
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candy
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Thu Mar-31-05 12:17 AM
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1. No surprise---Big Pharma would like us to think otherwise,though. |
enki23
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Thu Mar-31-05 12:18 AM
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2. coumadin is expensive? |
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Edited on Thu Mar-31-05 12:19 AM by enki23
isn't coumadin = warfarin? (i feel a google search coming on, but i'm also feeling exceptionally lazy...)
rat poison isn't all that expensive, and i can't imagine the FDA testing costs haven't been paid for long ago for this one.
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HuckleB
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Thu Mar-31-05 12:24 AM
Response to Reply #2 |
3. Yes, coumadin is warfarin. |
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Edited on Thu Mar-31-05 12:27 AM by HuckleB
That's, uh, in the part of the story copied above. And, yes, it's more expensive than aspirin, generic or not. Further, the study shows aspirin to be safer.
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daleo
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Thu Mar-31-05 12:27 AM
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5. Even a small price differential could make a big difference. |
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Aggregated over a lot of people (e.g. Medicare) this could add up to a lot of bucks. Ditto for even a small advantage in safety.
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The_Casual_Observer
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Thu Mar-31-05 12:25 AM
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4. Aspirin would never be approved if it were just being introduced now |
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It's too simple and cheap.
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dflprincess
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Thu Mar-31-05 12:27 AM
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6. If it were being introduced now |
The_Casual_Observer
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Thu Mar-31-05 12:31 AM
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mahatmakanejeeves
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Thu Mar-31-05 12:33 AM
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My brain has been blocked for years.
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Justyce
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Thu Mar-31-05 07:15 AM
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9. Time to make aspirin a prescription drug & up the price.... |
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Wed May 08th 2024, 01:44 PM
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