[David]

The medical establishment has never liked aspirin; and has been looking for ways to discourage its use for years. It doesn't require a perscription and generates no cash flow for the makers of proprietary drugs.

Thus when the possibility is alleged to exist that aspirin is somehow a negative in connection with spreading of a virus, we tend to be very very skeptical.

Fine to study and assess the possibility at somebody elses expense. But until demonstrated otherwise, this is just another argument by the medical profession that people shouldn't use aspirin.

[TaxRelief]

Actually, drug companies don't like aspirin. MD's often recommend aspirin in low daily doses for a variety of ailments.

[Ditter]

Doctors don't like aspirin? Our Dr has advised my husband & myself to take one every day.

[Mamzelle]

re: Fine to study and assess the possibility at somebody elses expense. But until demonstrated otherwise, this is just another argument by the medical profession that people shouldn't use aspirin.)))

An unaccountably silly remark. Tell that to the thousands who are recommended to take a baby aspirin every day by their doctors. Also, it's a standard now for treatment in the presentation of heart attacks.

Aspirin is a powerful med.

Docs do not have a proprietary interest in the drugs they prescribe. AAMOF, they'd like to use the cheaper drugs in some cases, but are frightened away by the prospect of litigation. Case in point, there was a cheaper treatment for heart attacks available a few years back, but the drug company with the more expensive med managed to create a better (slightly, slightly better) record on paper. The hospitals were forced to use the more expensive drug for fear that they'd end up in court--a matter of documentary evidence. As a result, treatment for heart failure suddenly cost $2700 more than it had to. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands, and it's just one example.

It's a lawyer thing, not a doctor thing.

[Doctor Stochastic]

The MD's I know really like aspirin. It's cheap and most of its side effects are known.

The Big Drug Companies like Bayer do like to advertise aspirin a lot on TV (So does St. Josephs.)

[Domestic Church]

It has been demonstrated in the past that use of aspirin for the common cold increases the amount of virus in exudate...of course this raised the possibilty that the study which was referenced in the media some years ago, might have had backing from the aspirin industry. The important thing is that aspirin is still a common treatment for colds/flu and many people are on long term apirin therapy for chronic illness and if indeed it increases the infectious rate of SARS it has to be addressed.