THE Australian Self-Medication Industry says consumers can have confidence in the safety profile and effectiveness of OTC proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) when they are used as directed.
The organisation was responding to recent media reports about a study published in Gut where researchers linked the long-term use of PPIs with a higher risk of doubling stomach cancer.
The study was conducted on people treated for Helicobacter pylori infaction, and ASMI said while it provides a "thoughtful analysis of the effect of H. pylori eradication...these findings and relative risks cannot be extrapolated to people who have frequent heartburn or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and for whom a short course of OTC PPIs for symptom relief may be appropriate".
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