Statement From Bayer(R) Aspirin Regarding the American Medical Association's New Aspirin Policy ...( MORRISTOWN N.J. June 19 /- New he...),Health

MORRISTOWN, N.J., June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- New health policies released yesterday by the American Medical Association (AMA) include a resolution to increase physician education about the importance of counseling patients on the appropriate use of aspirin to prevent heart disease and stroke. Notably, in the AMA's announcement release, the Association pointed to the strong evidence supporting aspirin's benefits in preventing cardiovascular (CV) events: "six trials, involving more than 95,000 adult men and women, have shown aspirin may be effective in reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke."(i)

As the makers of Bayer(R) Aspirin, we applaud the AMA for adopting this policy, which will amplify the discussion of aspirin use for appropriate patients as a proven, cost-effective strategy for preventing heart attacks and strokes, the nation's number-one and number-three killers. With its emphasis on physician counseling of patients about aspirin, the AMA resolution is an important step in helping to address the well-documented problem of aspirin underutilization in America.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the U.S., affecting men, women and all ethnic groups. In fact, nearly 71 million people are at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), every 26 seconds an American will suffer a coronary event.

Aspirin's potential to reduce the burden of CVD is underscored in a Partnership For Prevention report, which ranked 25 evidence-based clinical preventive services recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices based on these services' health impact and economic value; aspirin counseling was rated the number-one preventive health service that, if optimized, would dramatically contribute to improved public health. The report also states that 45,000 lives would be saved each year if more adults took
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