Acid Reflux - New Treatment Gets SMC Recommendation

AstraZeneca UK recently announced that the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) had issued a positive recommendation of their Esomeprazole 10mg (Nexium) medication, to be used in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), otherwise known as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), in children between one and eleven years of age. GERD affects approximately 40 percent of children in the UK, and if the conditions is not treated in infants, they can be affected by problems such as oesophagitis, dehydration and also suffer from weight loss. This oral suspension produced by AstraZeneca will be invaluable in the treatment of infants or young children who find it difficult to swallow tablets.

“AstraZeneca is delighted that the SMC has issued a positive recommendation for Esomeprazole 10mg (Nexium) to be used in children aged one to 11 years old in Scotland with GORD. This decision is good news for children who are affected by this condition and reflects AstraZeneca’s commitment to this therapy area,” said Mark Jones, the President of the AstraZeneca UK Marketing Company. “AstraZeneca always has the patient in mind, and this simple formulation has been designed to ensure that it is much easier to swallow, which will improve quality of life for these children.”