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Timeline

  • Introduction
  • The Aspirin Story
  • Timeline
  • Chemistry
Menu
  • Introduction
  • The Aspirin Story
  • Timeline
  • Chemistry

The story of aspirin is as remarkable and wide ranging as its number of potential uses

From origins as a herbal folk medicine – through its extended life as a front line pain killer – and now to its potential applications as a life saving preventive medicine, aspirin’s role is constantly changing. All these developments have come from the efforts of thousands of clinicians and scientists from across the world.
Major historical events
Timeline1

2000+ BCE

Assyrians document the use of willow leaves for rheumatic inflammation on stone tablets during the Sumerian period

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meadow-300x300

1550 BCE

the Ebers Papyrus an Egyptian medical text recommended an infusion of dry myrtle leaves for rheumatic and back pain
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c400 BCE

Hippocrates of Kos uses willow bark for fever and pain
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willow

1763

Reverend Edward Stone informs the Royal Society about his success with willow bark to treat fever
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1876

Dr Thomas MacLagan publishes his work using salicin in acute rheumatism
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Block1

1897

Dr Felix Hoffmann produces pure stable acetylsalicylic acid from salicylic acid and acetic anhydride
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1853

Salicylic acid made from salicin by French scientists but it is found to irritate the gut.
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1893

German scientists find that adding an acetyl group to salicylic acid reduces its irritant properties.
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Leaf 300x300

1897

In Germany, Bayer’s Felix Hoffmann develops and patents a process for synthesising acetyl salicylic acid or aspirin. First clinical trials begin.
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1971

British Pharmacologist, Sir John Vane discovers that acetylsalicylic acid inhibits the production of pain- intensifying prostaglandins
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1974

Professor Elwood, Archibald Cochrane and their colleagues publish the first RCT using aspirin for secondary CVD prevention
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1974

International Aspirin Foundation founded by Nick Henderson FIPR HonFRCVS
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1985

Professor Carlo Patrono shows that aspirin at low doses permanently inhibits thromboxane
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1988

Physicians Health Study; Nurse’s Health Study and the Women’s Health Study showed positive effects of aspirin in the primary prevention of disease
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1988

Cardiologists start using aspirin as immediate standard practice for suspected MI.
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1988

First study to show a link between aspirin and colorectal cancer prevention

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1997

Aspirin is 100 years old
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2002

Antithrombotic Trialists’ Collaboration publish a meta-analysis confirming aspirin’s role in preventing death, MI and stroke in high risk patients.
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2015

US Preventative Services Task Force recommends aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer

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2018

Primary prevention trials ARRIVE, ASCEND, ASPREE, seAFOod AspECT published
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2019

International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics guidelines recommend that women at high risk of pre-eclampsia take low-dose aspirin prophylaxis

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2020

aspirin is still one of the best options for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (The Lancet)

Sources

  • Jack DB One hundred years of aspirin. The Lancet 1997:350: 437-39
  • Elwood P 2017 Aspirin yesterday, aspirin today, aspirin tomorrow: a history of prophylactic aspirin. International Aspirin Foundation.
  • Goldberg DR Aspirin: Turn-of-the century miracle drug accessed 12/05/2019 @ https://wwwsciencehistory.org/distillations/aspirin-turn-of-the-centuary-miracle-drug
  • Schrör K 2016 Acetylsalicylic acid. Wiley
  • Chiarito M, Sanz-Sánchez J, Cannata F et al monotherapy with P2Y12 inhibitor or aspirin for secondary prevention in patients with established atherosclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet 2020 395 10235 14487-1495

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Djp

Daniel José Piñeiro

ASSOCIATE
Name
Daniel José Piñeiro
Academic Affiliations:
Full Professor of Medicine, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina Trustee, Board of Trustees, American College of Cardiology
Professional Setting:
My academic experience includes more than 40 years as a practicing medical doctor, teacher, and researcher. I have fulfilled these appointments in settings of vital social engagement and impact, most notably at the Hospital de Clínicas “José de San Martín” of the Universidad de Buenos Aires, a public hospital with high academic recognition. Additionally, I currently hold the position of Full Professor of Medicine at that same University.
Academic Activities:
  • International Meetings Participations: 180
  • Books-Editor: 1
  • Books Chapters: 39
  • Refereed Full Articles: 118 (listed in Pubmed: 29)
  • Refereed Abstracts: 221
  • Editorial Boards: 10
Profesional Associations:
  • 2005 President, Sociedad Argentina de Cardiología.
  • 2011-2013 President, Inter-American Society of Cardiology.
  • 2011-2013 Member (ex-officio), Board of Directors, World Heart Federation
  • 2017-2018 Member (at large), Board of Directors, World Heart Federation
  • 2018-2021 Trustee, Board of Trustees, American College of Cardiology
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Chia

John Chia

Name
John Chia MBBS (Spore), MRCP (UK), FAMS (Spore)
Academic Affiliations:

Adjunct Associate Professor DUKE-NUS Graduate Medical School,
Consultant Oncologist Curie Oncology Singapore,
Visiting Consultant National Cancer Centre Singapore.

Discipline:

Medical Oncology

Scientific Interests:
  • Aspirin as adjuvant therapy in established cancers
  • Adoptive T cell therapy and Dendritic cell vaccines in the treatment of solid tumors
  • Clinical Trial Design and Management
Declaration of Conflicts of Interest:

In the past 3 years, I have received consultant fees from Tessa Therapeutics, Aslan Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, and AstraZeneca.

I received grant support for investigator-initiated research from:

  • National Medical Research Council Singapore
  • Bayer AG

I hold shares in:  Roche, BMS, AstraZeneca, Incyte, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Trillium Therapeutics, Compugen, Arrowhead pharmaceuticals, Emergex, QuantumDx and Halozyme Therapeutics

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Badimon

Lina Badimon

Name
Lina Badimon BSc, PharmD, PhD, FESC, FAHA
Academic Affiliations:
Director of the Cardiovascular Science Program (ICCC) at the Hospital Santa Creu and San Pau, IIB-Sant Pau; CIBER CV. Director of the Cardiovascular Research Chair of the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Director of the UNESCO Chair in Biomedical Sciences Training and Research.
Discipline:
Pharmacology, Cardiovascular Disease
Scientific Interests:
Cardio-metabolic diseases, thrombosis, atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease
Declaration of Conflicts of Interest:

I received consultant and speakers fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Lilly and Sanofi.

    Return to Scientific Advisory Board
    Ge

    Junbo Ge

    Name

    Junbo Ge

    Ge Junbo, male, was born in Wulian, Shandong province on Nov. 8, 1962. He is the member of Chinese Academy of Sciences, professor and doctoral supervisor. He received his doctor’s degree of Medicine from German Mayence University in 1993 and now works as the director for Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Disease and the Center for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Fudan University. He is also the designate chairman of the Cardiovascular Disease Branch of Chinese Medical Association, council member of the Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions Association, international consultant of the American Heart Association. In Dec. 2013, he was appointed as the vice president of Tongji University.

    Prof. Ge has been engaged in clinical and scientific research work of cardiovascular disease since 1987, and his research area covers the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease, early diagnosis and treatment plan optimization.

    Return to Scientific Advisory Board
    Langley

    Ruth Langley

    Name
    Ruth Langley PhD, FRCP
    Academic Affiliations:
    Professor of Oncology and Clinical Trials, MRC Programme Leader and Chair of the Cancer Group, MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, honorary consultant in medical oncology at the Brighton and Sussex University Hospital.
    Discipline:
    Medical oncologist; trialist
    Scientific Interests:
    • Aspirin
    • Gastro-oesophageal malignancy
    • Transdermal oestrogen in the treatment of prostate cancer
    • Trials methodology
    Declaration of Conflicts of Interest:
    Has received honorarium from Bayer
    Return to Scientific Advisory Board
    Chan

    Andrew T Chan

    Name
    Andrew T. Chan MD, MPH
    Academic Affiliations:
    Chief, Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Vice Chair, Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Co-leader, Cancer Epidemiology Program, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston.
    Discipline:
    Gastroenterology
    Scientific Interests:
    • The role of aspirin in the prevention of colorectal cancer and other cancers
    • The role of the gut microbiome in colorectal cancer and other chronic gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and diverticulitis
    • The role of diet and lifestyle in colorectal cancer and other chronic gastrointestinal cancers
    Declaration of Conflicts of Interest:

    AACR Honors Dr. Andrew T. Chan With 2019 AACR-Waun Ki Hong Award

    Click here to find the press release.

    I received consultant Bayer and Pfizer, Inc.

    I received grant support for investigator-initiated research from:

    • National Institutes of Health
    • National Cancer Institute
    • Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation
    • Bayer AG
    Return to Scientific Advisory Board
    Gaziano

    Mike Gaziano

    Name
    J Michael Gaziano MD, MPH
    Academic Affiliations:

    Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Chief Division of Aging, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Director of Preventive Cardiology and Director of Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System.
    Discipline: Cardiology and Epidemiology

    Scientific Interests:
    I am a chronic disease epidemiologist with a particular interest in the roles that individual lifestyle choices (diet, exercise, smoking), metabolic factors (obesity, high cholesterol, and hypertension), and biochemical and genetic markers play on the risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic illnesses. Also, of interest is the impact that vascular disease has on other organ systems, including cognitive dysfunction and renal disease. I have an interest in the design of large-scale trials and observational studies nested in large health care systems using big data analytic techniques.
    Declaration of Conflicts of Interest:

    I received consultant and speaker fees Bayer.

    I received grant support as a principal investigator or co-investigator for research from the VA, DOD, NIH, Merck and Kowa.

    Return to Scientific Advisory Board
    Pierre A Web Photo

    Pierre Amarenco

    Name

    Pierre Amarenco, MD, FAHA, FAAN

    Academic Affiliations:
    • Professor of Neurology at Paris-Diderot Sorbonne University 
    • Chairman of the Department of Neurology and Stroke Center; Bichat University Hospital
    • Co-Director INSERM Unit-698 “Clinical Research in Atherothrombosis”
    Discipline:

    Neurology and Vascular Neurology

    Scientific Interests:
    • Understanding and preventing stroke and vascular diseases
    • Clinical trials in prevention of vascular diseases
    • Carotid intima-media thickness studies
    • Lipid trials: prevention and therapeutic –protective- evaluation
    Declaration of Conflicts of Interest:

    N/A

    Return to Scientific Advisory Board
    CarloPatrono

    Carlo Patrono

    CHAIR
    Name
    Carlo Patrono MD, FESC, FRCP
    Academic Affiliations:
    Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at the Catholic University School of Medicine in Rome (Italy) and at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (USA).
    Discipline:
    Clinical Pharmacology
    Scientific Interests:
    • Studying platelet activation and inhibition in diabetes mellitus
    • Studying platelet activation and inhibition in myeloproliferative neoplasms
    • Investigating the mechanism of action of low-dose aspirin in preventing colorectal cancer
    Declaration of Conflicts of Interest:

    I received consultant and speakers fees from Acticor Biotech,  Amgen,  Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline,  Tremeau,  Zambon.

    I received grant support for investigator-initiated research from:

    • AIFA (Italian Drug Agency)
    • Bayer AG
    • Cancer Research UK
    • European Commission, FP6 and FP7 Programmes

      Return to Scientific Advisory Board

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