Combination of | |
---|---|
Naproxen | NSAID |
Esomeprazole | Proton pump inhibitor |
Clinical data | |
Trade names | Vimovo |
AHFS/ Drugs.com | Professional Drug Facts |
Pregnancy category |
|
Routes of administration | By mouth |
ATC code | |
Legal status | |
Legal status | |
Identifiers | |
CAS Number | |
KEGG |
Naproxen/esomeprazole, sold under the brand name Vimovo, is a pain reliever medication in the form of a tablet for oral consumption, containing naproxen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and a delayed release formulation of esomeprazole, a stomach acid–reducing proton-pump inhibitor (PPI). [2] [3] It is produced by AstraZeneca. [4] Vimovo is US Food and Drug Administration approved for use against osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. [2] It is intended to decrease the risk of gastric ulcers from treatment with NSAIDs. [2]
It is available as a generic medication. [5] In 2020, it was the 390th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 300 thousand prescriptions. [6] [7]
Vimovo was acquired by the Ireland-based company, Horizon Pharma on November 19, 2013. AstraZeneca retained "ex-U.S. rights to Vimovo". [3]
In a June 2017 article in The Atlantic, journalist Marshall Allen wrote that, the cost of Aleve and Nexium, the two common medications" that became the specialty drug Vimovo, was $40 a month. Horizon Pharma bills insurance companies $3,252 a month for Vimovo. [8] According to The Atlantic, "since 2014, Horizon Pharma's net sales have been more than $455 million". [8]
After I was prescribed a brand-name drug I didn't need and given a coupon to cover the out-of-pocket costs, I discovered yet another reason why Americans pay too much for health care.