PLIVA SUMAMED - NEW AREAS OF APPLICATION

( Editorial: --> 9291 ) ZAGREB, 8 Feb (Hina) - Sumamed, an original antibiotic of the Croatian pharmaceutical company Pliva, could be used successfully in treating chronic non-infectious diseases, such as ulcer and atherosclerosis. This is the finding of research Pliva experts did last year. The study has opened a completely new area in the application of Sumamed. According to the latest researches, some 60% of population in Croatia are infected with H. pylori, a virus which is believed to be one of the causes of ulcer and some other stomach diseases such as gastritis and malign tumours. It is estimated that one in ten people in the world suffer from ulcer. The risk of its developing is six times higher with people infected with H. pylori. A team of top Croatian doctors, in cooperation with Pliva experts, last year did research with the aim of establishing the percentage of cases of infection with the bacteria C. pneaumoniae. Their results show that even 75% of all testees had suffered the infection at some point in their life. The disease was twice more frequent in the group of testees who suffered from cardio-vascular diseases. The same bacteria frequently causes pulmonary infections and it is believed that it causes five to ten per cent of all cases of pneumonia contracted outside of hospitals. Untreated infections could be the key to the development of later diseases such as atherosclerosis - acute coronary, or stroke, possibly arthritis, asthma or some other chronic disease whose causes have still not been sufficiently investigated. Pliva's study has opened a whole new set of questions concerning the optimum dosage, the combining of Sumamed with other groups of medicines, as well as questions regarding long-term application of antibiotics. (hina) rm 081305 MET feb 98