Navigation Links
Consumer Reports Health: Americans With Heartburn Paying Too Much Green For Nexium's 'Purple Pill'
Date:10/29/2009

This holiday season, settle your stomach, relieve your wallet

YONKERS, N.Y., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Just in time for the holidays, when many of us may suffer from occasional heartburn, a new Best Buy Drugs report from Consumer Reports Health finds that you probably don't need an expensive drug like Nexium, the "purple pill," for relief.

The new report uses comparative effectiveness research to identify "Best Buys" based on safety, effectiveness, and price for Proton Pump Inhibitors, a class of drugs to treat heartburn and stomach acid reflux. The report found that no one drug works better than another and that all are relatively safe. However, some PPIs are far more expensive than others.

Last year, U.S. consumers and their insurance companies spent $4.8 billion on Nexium, one of six PPIs currently available, making "the purple pill" the second highest-selling drug in 2008, behind Lipitor. It's no wonder: a month's supply of Nexium has a retail price tag of up to $240 a month, compared to just $24 a month for an over-the-counter PPI.

"For most consumers, over-the-counter, generic drugs will treat their frequent heartburn and acid reflux just as well as more expensive prescription drugs, and save them money too," said Lisa Gill, editor, prescription drugs, Consumer Reports Health. "We think doctors have been too quick to prescribe expensive, prescription medications when a generic or an over-the-counter would work just as well."

The first and best bet to settle your stomach is to try an inexpensive, over-the-counter antacid (such as Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids, Tums, or their generic versions) or an H2 blocker (Pepcid AC, Zantac 150, or their generic versions). People who suffer from heartburn twice a week or more for weeks or months on end may have GERD, short for gastroesophageal reflux disease, a condition that makes you prone to acid reflux. Those people
'/>"/>

SOURCE Consumers Union
Copyright©2009 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related medicine technology :

1. WebMD Launches New Consumer Health Portal in the U.K.
2. comScore Study Finds the Internet a Key Component in Consumer Research on Prescriptions and Health Conditions
3. IncentOne Introduces Next Generation of Healthy Choice Award(TM) Incentive Solution to Drive Consumer and Provider Engagement
4. New Federal Stem Cell Rules Would Hinder Existing Research, Consumer Group Warns
5. Video: Partnership Unites UCB with Consumer Product Innovator OXO(R)
6. Consumer Group Urges Gov. Schwarzenegger to Sign Stem Cell Bill Into Law
7. Agriculture Department Warns Consumers of Tainted Raw Milk Sold by Lebanon County Dairy
8. Florastor(R) Receives ConsumerLab.com Certification
9. Survey Finds At-Risk Consumers Interested in OTC Statin
10. Dog Law Officers Crackdown on Unsatisfactory Kennels Protecting Animals, Consumers
11. Agriculture Department Warns Consumers of Tainted Raw Milk Sold by Chester County Dairy
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:2/8/2010)... Feb. 8 BD Diagnostics, a ... the launch of BD Microtainer® MAP Microtube for Automated ... to improve the safety, accuracy and turnaround time of ... that can be difficult to access, such as infants, ... Microtainer MAP product is also the first microtube to ...
(Date:2/8/2010)... Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. (NYSE: HGR ... of operations for the year ended December 31, 2009 ... Company plans to issue a press release announcing the results ... Wednesday, February 10, 2010 , after the close of ... 9:00 a.m., EST , on Thursday, February 11, ...
(Date:2/8/2010)... Feb. 8 Connectyx Technologies Holdings ... advertising contract with SkyMall Inc. SkyMall produces the ... major airlines seat pockets. SkyMall has an annual ... featuring the MedFlash ® Personal Health Manager ... of contents in the front section of the ...
Breaking Medicine Technology:BD Launches New Device Designed to Improve Safety, Accuracy and Turnaround Time of Blood Collection in Patients with Fragile Veins 2Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. Announces 2009 Year-End Earnings Release Conference Call 2Connectyx Announces MedFlash(R) Advertising Contract with SkyMall Inc. 2Connectyx Announces MedFlash(R) Advertising Contract with SkyMall Inc. 3livethesource 28TM 29 the Worlds First and Only Patented Fully Nano Encapsulated Liquid Vitamin Mineral and Herbal Supplement Now Available in Dal 51780 1livethesource 28TM 29 the Worlds First and Only Patented Fully Nano Encapsulated Liquid Vitamin Mineral and Herbal Supplement Now Available in Dal 51780 2livethesource 28TM 29 the Worlds First and Only Patented Fully Nano Encapsulated Liquid Vitamin Mineral and Herbal Supplement Now Available in Dal 51780 3CNCB Post Graduate Studies in Clinical Nutrition 28PGSCN 29 Program is Now Available Online 51778 1CNCB Post Graduate Studies in Clinical Nutrition 28PGSCN 29 Program is Now Available Online 51778 2Covance to Sell Its Interactive Voice and Web Response Services and Enter Into a Multi Year Marketing Agreement with Phase Forward 13043 1Covance to Sell Its Interactive Voice and Web Response Services and Enter Into a Multi Year Marketing Agreement with Phase Forward 13043 2Covance to Sell Its Interactive Voice and Web Response Services and Enter Into a Multi Year Marketing Agreement with Phase Forward 13043 3
... Studies with Monoclonal Antibody,Targeting Interleukin-9 (IL-9); Preclinical ... Developing Potential Asthma,Therapies, GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 24, ... presentation of data,highlighting recent progress within the ... Phase 1 clinical,studies with its monoclonal antibody ...
... HILL, N.C., May 25, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- ... pharmaceutical product at play,pharmaceutical firms need to ... early. Companies that master,their communication planning and ... marketplace. , According to research and consulting ...
Other Medicine Technology:MedImmune Highlights Advances in Inflammatory Disease Pipeline With,Series of Data Presentations 2MedImmune Highlights Advances in Inflammatory Disease Pipeline With,Series of Data Presentations 3MedImmune Highlights Advances in Inflammatory Disease Pipeline With,Series of Data Presentations 4MedImmune Highlights Advances in Inflammatory Disease Pipeline With,Series of Data Presentations 5MedImmune Highlights Advances in Inflammatory Disease Pipeline With,Series of Data Presentations 6MedImmune Highlights Advances in Inflammatory Disease Pipeline With,Series of Data Presentations 7Clinical Trial Excellence: Shaping Markets Through Early,Communication of Clinical Trial Data 2Clinical Trial Excellence: Shaping Markets Through Early,Communication of Clinical Trial Data 3
(Date:2/9/2010)... Could See Idaho Lose $1.6 Billion from Feds ... Feb. 9 As the Idaho House ... federal health care law, the long-term effects of the move ... the Idaho Health Freedom Act (House Bill 391) a disastrous ... could see Idaho lose nearly $1.6 billion ...
(Date:2/9/2010)... comprehensive study to date of secondhand smoke exposure among ... Addiction . The study, carried out by researchers ... that exposure to household secondhand smoke among children aged ... wanted to find out if there were ways to ... in private households, and whether those levels were changing ...
(Date:2/9/2010)... MINNEAPOLIS/ST.PAUL (February 8, 2010)- Consuming two or more soft ... cancer by nearly two-fold compared with individuals who did ... Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention , a journal ... Although relatively rare, pancreatic cancer remains one of the ... diagnosed survive five years later. , Mark Pereira, Ph.D., ...
(Date:2/9/2010)... has increased in infants born prematurely in the US, ... Health System (LUHS). These findings were reported at the ... in Chicago. They also were published in the latest ... Gynecology . , Researchers reported that CP is associated ... cord. This inflammation is more common in premature births ...
(Date:2/9/2010)... 2010) AcademyHealth today recognized research that improves patient ... Services Research (HSR) Impact Award. The WHO Surgical ... ensure adherence to basic safety standards of care. ... that clearly translated into policy and, ultimately, made ... W. David Helms, Ph.D. "The WHO Surgical Safety ...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:Idaho House Moves State Closer to Health Care Disaster 2Health News:Idaho House Moves State Closer to Health Care Disaster 3Health News:Idaho House Moves State Closer to Health Care Disaster 4Health News:Exposure to secondhand smoke among children in England has declined since 1996 2Health News:Soft drinks may increase risk of pancreatic cancer 2Health News:Incidence of cerebral palsy on rise in US 2Health News:2010 HSR Impact Award recognizes surgical safety research 2
... March 10 On March 23, the Easter,Bunny will ... goodies.,But, if you,re one of the lucky recipients, make ... your pets. Chocolate is poisonous to,dogs and cats, and ... equally as dangerous., Dr. Gregory S. Hammer, president ...
... Computer,Services, Inc. (NYSE: ACS ) announced today ... contract to provide information technology,outsourcing (ITO) services to ... system., Under the terms of the agreement, ... operations, network,monitoring and management, asset tracking, and help ...
... Therap Services announces,the appointment of Anna Keith ... web-based service bureau offering an integrated suite,of applications ... support team consisting of former executive directors, house,managers, ... happy to have Anna in our team. Anna ...
... have correlated with prostate biopsy results in the detection ... for men with a normal prostate exam, according to ... issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American ... make PSA less useful in prostate cancer screening. , ...
... Fiduciary, Media, Network ... Security and Data Privacy Coverage, ... (NYSE: DR ) has introduced a new,multi-coverage corporate ... comprehensive policy, Darwin has integrated the,following coverage parts, which ...
... Drosophila (fruit flies), have identified several drugs and small molecules ... frequent form of mental retardation and one of the leading ... for developing new treatments for fragile X syndrome. , The ... chair of the Department of Human Genetics at Emory University ...
Other Medicine News:Health News:AVMA: Keep Pets Safe This Easter 2Health News:ACS Awarded $41 Million Contract to Provide IT Outsourcing Services to Parkland Hospital 2Health News:ACS Awarded $41 Million Contract to Provide IT Outsourcing Services to Parkland Hospital 3Health News:Therap Services Welcomes Anna Keith to the US Customer Support Team 2Health News:Biopsy techniques have made PSA test less predictive 2Health News:Darwin Introduces New Managed Care Corporate Liability Insurance 2Health News:Darwin Introduces New Managed Care Corporate Liability Insurance 3Health News:Drosophila drug screen for fragile X syndrome finds promising compounds and potential drug targets 2
Intended for the quantitative determination of gammaglutamyl transferase activity in serum or plasma. Single vial, dry powder reagent. Readily soluble at room temperature. Reaction: Kinetic. Waveleng...
Intended for the quantitative determination of calcium in serum. Endpoint Reaction. Reaction complete within one minute, color developed is stable for 30 minutes. Wavelength: 570 nm. Linearity: 16 mg...
For the quantitative determination of alanine aminotransferase in serum used in routine examination and monitoring of therapy and relapses....
For the quantitative determination of Alanine Aminotransferase in serum. Optimized IFCC without P-5'-P, Linearity: 500 IU/L at 37 C. Liquid Working Reagent prepared with simple 1:9 dilution....
Medicine Products: