Risks identified in common drug therapy
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by DPS
Risks associated with one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in Australia, accounting for about one million prescriptions a year, are examined in two articles in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.
Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are the most commonly used acid suppressants. Acid suppressant therapy resulted in world-wide sales of almost $27 billion in 2005.
A study by Elizabeth Roughead (University of South Australia) and colleagues, which examined Australian war veterans’ health records over five years, showed patients using PPI have a small but significantly increased risk of hospitalisation for pneumonia.
