The stomach and intestine work for digestion and absorption of foods, which are the functions closely linked to our daily lives. As some newspaper reported, “medicines for gastric ulcer that has long been prescribed and used, actually were proved to be ineffective”. This fact has been well known among specialists, however fuelled public concern.
According to the EBM‐based Therapeutic Guideline for Gastric Ulcer, prepared by a research group of Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, drugs for the gastric ulcer that has generally been prescribed are valued low. If prescribed medicines are ineffective, how good are OTC medicines? ‘Take-before-Drinking’ drugs are advertised for heartburn and dyspepsia. Are they really effective? Are gastrointestinal drugs that are to be available at convenience stores effective? Don’t they carry any risks?
Among many gastrointestinal drugs, there are effective real ‘medicines’ for gastric/duodenal ulcer. Meanwhile, drugs labeled as ‘antisecretory drugs’ and ‘drugs for gastritis’, are commonly used in Japan although they would not pass for the standards abroad. Therefore, this feature takes close look at effective ‘essential drugs’ and dangerous ‘unessential drugs’ in order to distinguish these two.
By focusing on gastric medicines among many other gastrointestinal drugs, Dr. Tanida, an expert in digestive disorders and one of the members of Directory Boad of NPOJIP, comments on the issue.
(Intestinal drugs are covered in the next issue.)
For instance, Asahi Shinbun, 2004/01/22.