Nexium
Sources: buy cheap Excel x
Nexium….the Little Healing Purple Pill! But don't let its size confuse you about its efficacy. Nexium packs a powerful punch to those suffering from acid reflux disorder, and according to my best friend Doreen, those who take it are hooked for life!
What is Nexium
The active ingredient in Nexium (Esomeprazole Magnesium) is a magnesium-based compound that helps to inhibit gastric acid secretion. Those who suffer from acid reflux disease have an overabundance of acid in their stomachs that sometimes is burped back up, if you will, which can cause damage and erosion to the esophagus.
Nexium boasts 24-hour heartburn relief and can also help to heal the erosive damage in your esophagus. It is the treatment of choice for many doctors for heartburn due to acid reflux.
Nexium Side Effects
My friend Doreen, has been taking Nexium for several years now and says she literally can't live without it. She claims that without it, when she bends over, her mouth and throat become filled with a back-flow of acidic gastric contents that cause her to be very uncomfortable, to say the least. That being said, Nexium side effects, for her, have been quite minimal. Gas, constipation, hot flashes and dyspepsia (nice word for burping) are the most frequent ill effects that she has noticed. She has also been troubled by an occasional bout of insomnia, which may or may not be related to Nexium. With a 40-milligram dose once a day, she swears by it for her Acid Reflux Disorder.
Doreen denies ever experiencing headaches, diarrhea, abdominal pain or dry mouth from taking Nexium, which are some of the most frequently reported Nexium side effects. Also common are the Nexium side effects she did report, constipation dyspepsia, gas and hot flashes. For constipation and gas, her doctor recommended she increase her fiber and drink more water. She was also told that Tums, a common antacid could help her with the dyspepsia and that she should avoid spicy foods and seasonings. She takes an occasional Tylenol PM for insomnia and her hot flashes went away after taking the medication for only a couple of weeks. As with any over-the-counter medications, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking.
Although my friend denies any other adverse Nexium side effects, there are many that have been reported, but in less than 1% of the population studied. Included here is a partial list here that I believe should alert you to notify your physician. Make sure to alert your doctor if you develop difficulty breathing, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, have difficulty swallowing, chest pain, high blood pressure, increased heart rate, blood in your stools, black tarry stools, blood in your urine, vomiting, rash or hives, ringing in the ears or insomnia. Furthermore, if you are experiencing any bothersome side effect that may or may not be related to taking Nexium tell your doctor and let her decide if you should stop taking it for any reason.
Nexium comes in delayed release capsules that should be swallowed whole and not crushed. If you have difficulty swallowing capsules, you may open the capsule and put the contents into apple sauce. It is also available in a delayed release suspension. Please remember to discuss all medications with your doctor before taking them.
Sources:
www.nexium.com
www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/esomeprazole.htm
By James A. White
The latest peace pact in the generics wars has been signed by AstraZeneca and Teva, shielding AstraZeneca’s mega-selling heartburn drug Nexium from Teva competition until 2014. Now the question is whether a similar deal with another generic maker — Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories — is far behind.
AstraZeneca said the deal will allow Teva to sell generic copies of Nexium in the U.S. starting on May 27, 2014, when the first of AstraZeneca’s patents on the drug expire. Back in 2008, AstraZeneca made a separate Nexium deal with India’s Ranbaxy Laboratories.
Morgan Stanley analysts quoted by Reuters said that India’s Dr. Reddy’s posed the only credible risk to Nexium sales before 2014; they predicted AstraZeneca would cut a deal with Dr. Reddy’s before the end of 2010.
All this fuss stems from the fact that Nexium is AstraZeneca’s biggest seller, ranking as the world’s third-largest drug, with sales of $7.8 billion, according to IMS Health.
Other drug makers have been cutting similar deals on mega-blockbusters losing patent protection in the coming years. Pfizer and Ranbaxy settled their legal fight over Lipitor when they agreed that Ranbaxy could start selling generic copies of the drug (the biggest seller of all time) in November of 2011.
Photo: PR Newswire
AstraZeneca settled a United States patent dispute over Nexium with Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals on Thursday, protecting the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker’s top-selling heartburn drug from immediate generic competition.
AstraZeneca shares rose 1.4 percent in a weaker market for drug stocks by 9:15 a.m. British time, while Teva slipped 0.2 percent.
The deal with Teva, the world’s biggest generic drug producer, mirrors a similar agreement in April 2008 with Indian firm Ranbaxy Laboratories, which had also challenged patents on the drug.
In both cases, AstraZeneca has granted a license allowing the generic firms to start selling a cheap copy of Nexium, or esomeprazole, in the American market on May 27, 2014, when the first of its patents expire.
Ranbaxy, however, has an edge over Teva since it was the first to file for a U.S. generic version of Nexium, entitling it to 180 days of exclusivity before rivals enter the market.
“This settlement strikes an appropriate balance between protecting the value of our shareholders’ investment in Nexium, mitigating uncertainties and addressing the many other costs associated with patent litigation,” said an AstraZeneca spokesman, Neil McCrae.
The deal with Ranbaxy two years ago was seen by analysts at the time as removing the main threat to Nexium but there had been speculation Teva might fight on rather than agreeing to settle.
AstraZeneca’s Nexium patent infringement litigation against another Indian company, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, is still continuing.
“While the challenge from Dr. Reddy’s remains, along with earlier stage challenges from (Novartis unit) Sandoz and Lupin, the odds of these companies winning — and thus launching an early generic of Nexium — would appear to have receded given the precedent with Ranbaxy and Teva,” said Deutsche Bank analyst, Mark Clark.
Morgan Stanley analysts Dr Reddy’s posed the only credible risk to Nexium sales before 2014 and predicted AstraZeneca would settle with the company before the end of 2010.
Nexium is AstraZeneca’s biggest seller but sales are declining, particularly in the United States, where the firm has been forced to cut prices in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
United States sales of the medicine fell 7 percent to $2.1 billion in the nine months through September, while global sales were flat at $3.7 billion.
AstraZeneca and Teva also agreed separately to settle patent litigation related to the older heartburn and ulcer drug Prilosec, or omeprazole, under which Teva will make a small payment to AstraZeneca for past infringing of sales. Teva will continue to sell its generic medicine in the United States.
AstraZeneca said the terms of the Prilosec agreement were not financially material.
Merck & Company, which gets a slice of the revenues from both products, also entered into the settlement agreements.
Go to Article from Reuters via The New York Times »
