Press Release

For Immediate Release

Study Linking Aspirin And Acetaminophen To Chronic Renal Failure May Be Biased, Say Study Authors

December 20, 2001

(Washington, DC, December 20, 2001) - The Aspirin Foundation of America (AFA) today responded to research that claimed that regular use of either aspirin or acetaminophen increased the risk of chronic renal failure. The research was published in the December 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The AFA noted the statement by the authors that the study may be flawed because they could "not rule out the possibility of bias" in that some of the subjects may have had "predisposing conditions."

Dr. Thomas Bryant, president of the Aspirin Foundation of America, urged physicians to advise patients on this issue only when further, more definitive, study has been conducted. "Because there may have been predisposing conditions for which the patients took analgesics, the results should be considered with caution," Bryant said.

Research has repeatedly shown that aspirin use is safe and effective for most patients in the treatment of various illnesses.  

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