Chemists from the US have developed a polymer of about 100 molecules of aspirin, which they hope might eliminate some of the drug's side effects.
In a presentation at the 220th national meeting of the American Chemical Society on August 22, Professor Kathryn Uhrich (department of chemistry, Rutgers university, Piscataway, New Jersey) and colleagues said that the drug was absorbed in the intestine, which might prevent stomach irritation. The researchers said that they hoped to begin trials of the drug in humans within two years.
Mr Nick Henderson (executive director, the Aspirin Foundation) told The Journal on August 23 that, Professor Uhrich's work was interesting but it was theoretical at the moment. "We would need to see the results of human studies, including gastroscopy," he said.