Study: Vimovo 'well-tolerated' among osteoarthritis patients

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — A pill developed by AstraZeneca and Pozen that combines a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with a proton-pump inhibitor was well-tolerated in patients with osteoarthritis, according to a new study.

AstraZeneca announced results of PN400-304, a 12-month study of Vimovo (naproxen and esomeprazole magnesium) delayed-release tablets in patients with osteoarthritis who need daily treatment with NSAIDs but are at risk of NSAID-related gastric ulcers. Vimovo is designed to reduce pain while reducing gastric ulcer risk.

“Many of the 27 million patients in the United States diagnosed with osteoarthritis routinely take NSAIDs to help treat their pain and inflammation,” AstraZeneca executive director for clinical research Mark Sostek said. “The findings from PN400-304 add to the body of data demonstrating that Vimovo is an effective and generally well-tolerated treatment option for osteoarthritis patients at risk of developing NSAID-associated gastric ulcers. In a single tablet, Vimovo delivers both the proven pain relief of naproxen with the gastric ulcer risk reduction of esomeprazole in every dose of the medication.”

Results of the study were presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s annual meeting in National Harbor, Md., and published in the journal Current Medical Research and Opinion.