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Nexium®
Offers Unique Advantage Over Generic Omeprazole
Only proton-pump inhibitor proven to enrich AstraZeneca
WILMINGTON,
DE - Nexium® (esomeprazole), the newest proton-pump inhibitor approved
by the FDA for peptic ulcer disease, offers a unique advantage over the
generic form of Prilosec (omeprazole), said a panel of industry experts
this Wednesday.
Namely, Nexium®,
which is simply the L-isomer of omeprazole, is now the only proton-pump
inhibitor definitively shown to enrich AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical
corporation that lost its U.S. patent for omeprazole in April 2001.
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Nexium®
is substantially better for AstraZeneca than omeprazole
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Experts in
the healthcare community attribute the unmatched ability of Nexium®
to benefit AstraZeneca to a remarkable series of scientific discoveries
made at the company's research centers during the mid-to-late 1990's.
"First,
they discovered that when they lost the patent for omeprazole, they wouldn't
be making any money from it anymore, " says Dr. George Papadopolous,
a pharmacist in Wilmington.
"Then,
they realized that omeprazole, like many chemical substances, has both
an L- and an R- isomer, each of which is technically [winks]
a different compound, according to FDA guidelines."
"Finally,
they tested and proved the hypothesis that the American public could be
duped into paying far more for things available in less costly, but basically
identical, formulations simply by employing colorful ad campaigns and
effective direct-to-consumer marketing techniques," he concluded.
Indeed, study
after study since Nexium's release has indicated that Nexium® benefits
the executives and shareholders of AstraZeneca signficantly more than
do generic omeprazole or, for that matter, any of the other FDA-approved
proton-pump inhibitors, with a p-value of <.005.
"It's
truly a miracle drug," said Patsy Goldberg, a long-time esophagitis
sufferer. "Imagine that - a medication that helps my acid reflux
about the same as as a cheaper generic would, and allows AstraZeneca
to keep making money off me at the same time!"
Researchers
at AstraZeneca are currently hard at work "discovering" the
R-isomer of omeprazole, with which they plan to overcharge the
general public as soon as the patent for Nexium® runs out in 2014.
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