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Aspirin and Prevention of CVD
Aspirin already is approved worldwide for secondary prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events and in 36 countries for primary prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. The ARRIVE trial will expand the already existing, strong body of evidence supporting use of Aspirin in primary prevention of events associated with CVD.
Use of Aspirin is widely supported in primary prevention of events associated with CVD:
- A meta-analysis of six landmark primary prevention trials, containing a combined total of more than 100,000 patients, showed a significant 23 percent reduction in risk of a first myocardial infarction (MI) in patients without known CVD.1
- Despite the widely proven cardio-protective effects of Aspirin, its underutilization by health professionals and patients remains an important problem. Data suggest that less than half of patients at high risk of events associated with CVD are being treated with Aspirin.3
- According to the 2006 worldwide Disease Control Priorities Project report — a study and policy report funded by the World Health Organization (WHO), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and others — regular Aspirin use can significantly reduce the incidence of global cardiovascular disease, which has become the greatest single cause of death in the developing world.2
- A new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the Partnership for Prevention®p; (PFP), and several other institutions in the US, reaffirms the value of regular Aspirin use in preventing cardiovascular disease.4 The study reports that an additional 45,000 lives would be saved annually if 90 percent of at-risk adults took Aspirin daily. Today, less than half of American adults take Aspirin preventively on a regular basis. Further, Aspirin counsel by physicians received the highest rankings possible for its preventive potential (clinically preventable burden) and cost effectiveness.5 This follows on a 2006 report where Aspirin counseling was ranked the number one preventive health service to improve public health.
In addition, current clinical practice guidelines, including those issued by the American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology, among other major health organizations, advise physicians to consider Aspirin therapy for appropriate patients.
The broader use of Aspirin in appropriate patients can help prevent tens of thousands of events associated with CVD and save untold financial resources in both direct and indirect healthcare costs. Aspirin is a less expensive and potentially more cost-effective therapy than other available prescription treatments for helping prevent a CV event in appropriate patients.6
Aspirin is not appropriate for everyone, so consumers are directed to speak with their physicians before beginning an Aspirin regimen.
1 Bartolucci A, Howard G. "Meta-analysis of data from the six primary prevention trials of cardiovascular events using acetylsalicylic acid." Am J Cardiol, in press.
2 "Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries." 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
3 Shahar E, Folsom AR, Roff FJ. "Patterns of Aspirin Use in Middle-Aged Adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study." Am Heart J 1996; 131:915-22.
4 Partnership for Prevention® Report. Preventive Care: A National Profile on Use, Disparities, and Health Benefits. 2007"
5 Maciosek, MV, et al. Priorities among effective clinical preventive services: Results of a systemic review and Analysis. Am J Prev Med 2006; 31(1):52-61.
6 Coronary heart disease prevention: insights from modeling incremental cost effectiveness." BMJ, 2003;327:1264 (29 November).
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