Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

New Aspirin Spares Users Stomachaches

Italian scientists alter key molecule in painkiller

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 18, 2008 1:49 PM CDT

(Newser) – Aspirin is one of the world’s top painkillers, but it has a nasty way of attacking the stomach lining. That could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a team of Italian researchers who have molecularly altered the drug. The new aspirin “has no side effects,” the lead researcher told the ANSA news agency.

So far, the drug has only been tested on rats. “But if the results are confirmed by further tests, it should represent a safer alternative to old aspirin,” the researcher said. To craft the better pill, the team actually added atoms to one of the drug’s key molecules, preventing it from irritating the stomach and allowing it to enter the bloodstream faster.

An employee of German chemical and drug maker Bayer checks a package of Aspirin Plus in a Bayer pill plant in eastern Germany, in this July 11, 2005 file picture.
An employee of German chemical and drug maker Bayer checks a package of Aspirin Plus in a Bayer pill plant in eastern Germany, in this July 11, 2005 file picture.   (AP Photo/Eckehard Schulz)
Italian scientists have engineered a version of aspirin that does not attack stomach linings.
Italian scientists have engineered a version of aspirin that does not attack stomach linings.   (Shutterstock)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Best Hangover Cure: Aspirin and ...

Combo Heart Pills Enter Trials in London

Painkillers May Play Role in Prostate Cancer

How Congress Can Help Ted Kennedy

Scientists Build Immune System in Test Tube


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne