I first heard of the term “saridon” on Janette Toral’s blog. Apparently it’s a drug that is very well known in the Visayas and Mindanao area. A new reformulated version of the drug had to be made when the US Food And Drug Administration found that the product was potentially harmful to those who take it due to the compound phenactin. The harmful substance has since been replaced with propyphenazone. The drug itself is made up of a combination of propyphenazone, paracetamol and caffeine. The main use of the drug is for the relief of pain. It is no different from usual analgesics like ibuprofen and paracetamol.
According to a study done by researchers in Tucson, Arizona, Saridon is more efficacious in dealing with pain compared to aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen. It was proven via randomized clinical trial. This alone elevates the drug itself as a “real” treatment – unlike the other food supplements that litter shelves of pharmacies nowadays. Saridon is a drug – proven to be efficacious by some studies – and while it may have some side effects and sometimes catastrophic effects (like in the case of drug-induced hepatitis in one instance), it still is a drug that is allowed within the borders of many countries in Europe and even our own.
What gives?
The ball is definitely on the side of Bayer AG (the manufacturers of Saridon) to prove that their product is safe. With the considerable population of people who take the drug, it would be very easy to do a cross-sectional analysis of these people. It would be very socially-responsible on their part if they could somehow see whether or not regular intake of the drug causes adverse reactions and whether or not the intake of the drug could be correlated with more serious lifestyle diseases that would be diagnosed later on.
The bad rap that the drug has will keep haunting the brand until they (Bayer AG) find a way to somehow exorcise their demons. The bad image is there for a reason – the drug has been proven to be hazardous over 25 years ago. The onus to show that the drug has improved is certainly on their side. There are tests that prove that saridon works faster than a regular pill of paracetamol, ibuprofen or aspirin but these three other drugs hardly carry any risks and most people wouldn’t even think twice before popping a pill of those three kinds.
This isn’t simply a PR issue – it is a pressing public health issue that needs to be addressed. Stakeholders need to step in and show that they are on top of the situation.
Photo: Flickr – melancholy_rose
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