Aspergum is the United States trademark name for an

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...

chewing gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its te ...

, whose active ingredient is

aspirin Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and/or inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions which aspirin is used to treat inc ...

. Aspergum is owned by Retrobrands USA LLC. Aspergum contained 227 mg (3½

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

s) of

, and was available in

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

and orange flavors. This product was generally used for the

anti-inflammatory Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs remedy pain by reducing inflammation as o ...

, and

anti-pyretic An antipyretic (, from ''anti-'' 'against' and ' 'feverish') is a substance that reduces fever. Antipyretics cause the hypothalamus to override a prostaglandin-induced increase in temperature. The body then works to lower the temperature, which r ...

properties of its active ingredient. The Aspergum trademark is currently owned by

Insight Pharmaceuticals Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intuit ...

, the same company that produces the

- and

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine t ...

-based

Anacin Anacin is an American brand of analgesic that is manufactured by Prestige Consumer Healthcare. Its product contains aspirin and caffeine. History Anacin was invented by William Milton Knight and was first to be used circa 1916 as stated in the p ...

History

Medicated chewing gum containing aspirin was first sold in the United States in 1924. In December 1927, Frank M. Dillard and William C. Nalle formed the Dillard-Nalle company and sought U.S. trademark protection for Aspergum. Dillard-Nalle then began selling their Dellard's Aspergum in the United States in 1928. it was an early example of a

functional gum Functional may refer to: * Movements in architecture: ** Functionalism (architecture) ** Form follows function * Functional group, combination of atoms within molecules * Medical conditions without currently visible organic basis: ** Functional sy ...

– chewing gum as a

drug delivery Drug delivery refers to approaches, formulations, manufacturing techniques, storage systems, and technologies involved in transporting a pharmaceutical compound to its target site to achieve a desired therapeutic effect. Principles related to d ...

system. It was significant in the recognition of aspirin's

antithrombotic An antithrombotic agent is a drug that reduces the formation of blood clots (thrombi).http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?antithrombotic Antithrombotics can be used therapeutically for prevention (primary prevention, secondary prevention) or tr ...

effect, when general practitioner

Lawrence Craven Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparato ...

reported in 1953 that patients who chewed Aspergum as an analgesic after

tonsillectomy Tonsillectomy is a list of surgical procedures, surgical procedure in which both palatine tonsils are fully removed from the back of the throat. The procedure is mainly performed for recurrent tonsillitis, throat infections and obstructive sleep ...

tended to bleed more easily. As a result of Dr. Craven's discovery through Aspergum in the 1950s, physicians themselves now often take low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes, and emergency rooms routinely give aspirin to patients who they suspect may be experiencing a heart attack. In June 1993, Farmades spa of Rome, Italy began manufacturing Aspergum Confetti Gommosi Masticabili for sale in Italy. People have adopted their own uses for the gum. For example, in her 1997 book ''Streisand'',

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning American singer

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

relates a story of how she filled in the gap caused by the removal of two front teeth with Aspergum when she began her career. In 1998, Gumtech announced that it was to produce Aspergum for Schering-Plough HealthCare Products. Aspergum was discontinued in 2006. As of January 2016, Retrobrands USA LLC has obtained the trademark and plans to re-launch the brand.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official Aspergum webpage
Aspirin Analgesics Chewing gum Discontinued products Products introduced in 1928 Products and services discontinued in 2006

History

See also

References

External links