46p-a-day pill ‘could save lives of hundreds of arthritis patients’

LONDON - A 46p-a-day tablet could save the lives of hundreds of arthritis patients, according to new reports.

The Axorid pill costs just 46p a day and could stop people crippled by arthritis dying from gastric bleeding, reports the Daily Mail.

It contains a painkiller and protective omeprazole, which reduces levels of stomach acid.

The drugs are prescribed for pain relief, but patients are also supposed to take another medication to prevent stomach ulcers (because painkillers stop the body producing the liquid that protects the stomach lining from acid).

However many forget to take both, or are averse to having two separate medications - with sometimes life-threatening complications, said Professor Peter Hayes of Edinburgh University and the Royal Infirmary.

Axorid was licensed in the UK in January. (ANI)