Page 2 - Pharmacy History 34 February 2008

From the Editor
It is with pleasure that I can give you a 20 page Pharmacy History Australia once again.
This does not mean that we are out of the financial woods, but this issue is a big one because it coincides with the PAC conference being held in Perth in October this year.
It is exciting to be able to present
a pharmacy history session at the Congress, especially when its free, so that a broader group of people can attend.
If you can make the Saturday afternoon session and are bringing guests, please advise the Pharmacy Council Office so that a RED badge can be prepared for you to pick up when you arrive at the Convention Expedition Centre.
Principally this will help with seating, catering and security.
In the November issue of this journal we will be discussing the future of the Academy, and to explore the possibilities of amalgamating with another history body.
Stay tuned!
Geoff Miller, Editor
President’s column The History of Aspirin –
Continued
In the previous edition of Pharmacy History Australia, Vol 4 No 34, the early history of Aspirin was recounted and we now consider the subsequent activity of this remarkable drug. In 1915 a substantial step forward was achieved when Aspirin became available without a prescription. The Bayer patent on acetylsalicylic acid expired in 1917 and although the company’s monopoly of the name was broken in the USA and the UK, it remained a trade name in many other countries. Bayer Aspirin became a prominent product world wide.
Following the 1980 FDA approval of the use of Aspirin to reduce the risk
of stroke after transient ischaemic attack in men, the British pharmacologist John R Vane and two Swedish colleagues were awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1982 for their discovery of the mechanism of action of Aspirin.
In 1985 the FDA approved the use of Aspirin to prevent myocardial infarction in patients with a history of heart attack or unstable angina. In 1994 Bayer bought back the right to the name Aspirin in the USA which they had lost during the First World War.
In 1996 the FDA approved a new indication for Aspirin stating that it may be given during a suspected heart attack and the next year 1997 the FDA stated its intention to broaden approved use of Aspirin. These new approved uses included administration for the prevention of strokes in women after
a transient ischaemic attack and in groups at high risk for heart attack and stroke and in dosages lower than previously recommended. The following year in 1998 the FDA approved the use of Aspirin in lower doses to help prevent heart attack, strokes and blood clot formation.
Aspirin was the first discovered member of the class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the development of a range of drugs can be attributed to Aspirin. These include Nurofen, Voltaren, Persantin and Celebrex. Now and into the future, research is continuing on
the still emerging cardiovascular benefits of an Aspirin regimen. Research is also ongoing to explore possible links between Aspirin and prevention of other diseases including bowel cancer, diabetes, migraine headaches and Alzheimer’s disease. Today Aspirin is one of the most widely used medications in the world with an estimated 40,000 metric tons of it being consumed each year.
Some feat for a 111 year old medicine. We are all indebted to the Bayer company’s German chemist Felix Hoffman who in 1897 synthesised a stable acetylsalicylic acid which he called Aspirin.
Pharmacy Australia Congress – PAC
Perth Western Australia is the place to be from
24 – 26 October 2008, attending the Pharmacy Australia Congress. Our history session will be a highlight of the Congress and it will be conducted in the prime time of Saturday afternoon the
25th October. We have a wonderful program for you, so I extend a cordial invitation to you and do hope you can attend. Looking forward to seeing you in Perth on 25 October 2008.
Ross Brown, President
VALE JOHN O’HARA
Prominent West Australian pharmacist John O’Hara, died suddenly in Perth on July 17th 2008.
His passing was
a shock to his
many friends
and colleagues from a lifetime of service to the profession which included 27 years as a councillor of the Pharmaceutical Society of WA and six years as President.
He was elected a life member of the Society in 1982.
Editor’s note
Contributions from members are always welcome, especially family histories of pharmacists.
2 Pharmacy History Australia volume 4 no 35 September 2008