Is Vazalore Different Than Aspirin?

Hello and thank you for your question!

Vazalore is simply a brand name for a unique formulation of aspirin.

Unlike most aspirin products that come in a tablet form, Vazalore contains aspirin in liquid-filled capsules, and it is the only product currently on the market that contains aspirin in a liquid-filled capsule.

While aspirin being available in a liquid dosage form like this may not seem to be a huge breakthrough, it is certainly is an achievement as liquid aspirin products have been notoriously challenging to create as a commercial product due to long-term stability issues of the drug itself.

How Does Vazalore Come?

As mentioned, Vazalore comes as a liquid-filled capsule containing aspirin. It is available in two different dosages:

• Low dose 81mg aspirin per liquid-filled capsule
• 325mg aspirin per liquid-filled capsule

What Are The Main Features Of Vazalore?

I'll discuss these in more detail below, but the main 'features' or selling points of Vazalore is that it is being marketed as:

• Being faster and more completely absorbed than enteric-coated aspirin products.
• Just as safe on your stomach as enteric-coated aspirin products.
• Equivalent to immediate-release aspirin products in terms of effectiveness for heart attack and stroke prevention

Is Vazalore Better Than 'Regular' Aspirin?

The answer to this certainly depends on what is meant by 'better'.

Overall, the claim to fame of Vazalore is that is it just as protective to your stomach as enteric-coated aspirin products, but also works faster, and therefore may be a better choice for heart attack and stroke prevention.

Let's first talk about why enteric coatings are used in aspirin products (aside from chewable tablets).

Aspirin, which is an NSAID, can irritate the lining of the stomach and cause bleeding/ulceration with long-term use.

Due to this, many aspirin products have an enteric coating.

The enteric-coating on aspirin tablets is in place to protect the stomach, allowing it to dissolve in the intestines, as opposed to the stomach. The potential downside of this is both slower and less absorption overall when compared to non-enteric coated products.

Due to this, many health information sources recommend taking a chewable, or other non-enteric coated aspirin, for heart attack and stroke prevention, since they will absorb faster and more completely.

One such reliable source for medical information, The Mayo Clinic, in one of their Mayo Clinic Q & A features, published the following:

However, with enteric-coated aspirin, research indicates that bloodstream absorption may be delayed and reduced, compared to regular aspirin absorption. Regular aspirin is quickly dissolved and absorbed in the stomach. As a result, enteric-coated aspirin may not be as effective as regular aspirin at reducing blood clot risk.

Studies of Vazalore have found, that when compared with regular and enteric-coated aspirin, its effects on preventing clot formation were equal to regular aspirin and faster than enteric-coated aspirin products.

More studies need to be completed to provide a concrete answer of how enteric-coated aspirin compares to non-enteric coated aspirin products, but, as mentioned, we do know that Vazalore is better and more completely absorbed than enteric-coated ones.

What Is Vazalore Used For?

As mentioned, Vazalore contains aspirin in a liquid-capsule dosage form. It is used for the same things 'regular' aspirin is used for, namely:

• Pain relief
• Stroke prevention
• Heart attack prevention/symptom treatment

Is Vazalore The Same As Aspirin?

Vazalore is the 'same as aspirin' as it is a product that contains aspirin as the active ingredient in both an 81mg (i.e. baby aspirin) strength and a 325mg strength.

The difference between Vazalore and other aspirin products is that conventional aspirin products come in the form of a tablet (e.g. chewable and enteric-coated tablets). Vazalore contains aspirin in a liquid dosage form (liquid-filled capsule).

Is Vazalore Safer Than Aspirin?

Long-term use of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), like aspirin, can irritate the lining of the stomach and cause ulceration.

Due to this, most tablet forms of aspirin are enteric-coated, which prevents it from dissolving in the stomach.

Vazalore has a similar feature and is designed to release in the first section of the intestine (the duodenum), preventing exposure to the stomach.

One small study found that Vazalore reduced the risk of ulcerations compared to non-enteric coated aspirin products:

In this study we found that aspirin induced a surprisingly high incidence of gastroduodenal ulceration in healthy subjects with an age-associated risk of GI bleeding. Such ulcerations were statistically significantly reduced by 7 days with PL2200 [Vazalore].

More long-term studies are needed to determine if Vazalore is definitively safer than other forms of aspirin.

Does Vazalore Work Faster Than Aspirin?

Studies show that Vazalore is absorbed faster, and more completely than enteric-coated aspirin products.

Is Vazalore FDA Approved?

Yes, Vazalore is FDA-approved and available over the counter. You do not need a prescription for it.