Daily Aspirin Still Recommended for Millions of Americans Who Have Had a Heart Attack or Ischemic Stroke

WHIPPANY, N.J., July 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the report in today's Annals of Internal Medicine, Bayer realizes there may be confusion around the appropriate use of aspirin, which in the United States is only approved for secondary prevention. Aspirin is not appropriate for everyone, so patients should talk to their doctor before they begin an aspirin regimen.

This report only looked at patients who take aspirin for primary prevention, which is the use of aspirin to prevent a first cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or ischemic stroke.  Importantly, it did not look at patients who take aspirin for secondary prevention, which is when someone takes aspirin because they already have known underlying risk of cardiovascular disease and are trying to prevent another event. Neither this research nor recent guidelines have changed the importance of aspirin for these patients. Aspirin continues to be a life-saving preventative treatment for many patients who have already had a cardiovascular event.

Bayer reiterates the conclusion of the paper: no one should start, stop or modify an aspirin regimen without first speaking with their doctor. The risks of discontinuing an aspirin regimen are significant ? increasing risk for another heart attack by 63 percent and by 40 percent for a clot-related stroke. It is therefore important that patients speak with their doctor if they have any questions about recent news or research regarding aspirin.  

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2018, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of 39.6 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.6 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

Contacts:

Jennifer Kaczmarek, phone +1 (862) 404-6314
Email:  [email protected] 

SOURCE Bayer