Heckler Urges Warnings on Aspirin Labels

Health and Human Services Secretary Margaret M. Heckler urged the aspirin industry Wednesday to voluntarily warn its customers of a possible link between aspirin and the sometimes-fatal children’s disease known as Reye’s Syndrome.

Heckler, acting after the release of a medical study indicating that children given aspirin for influenza or chicken pox may run a 25-times greater risk of contracting the disease, urged the industry to include a warning on its bottle labels against using aspirin in such cases unless a physician is first consulted.

In addition, she asked the industry to remove any labels from aspirin products that recommend their use for such illnesses. Warning labels on at least two major brands of children’s aspirin now recommend their use to relieve the discomfort of flu.

Study Continuing Heckler said that the study by the Centers for Disease Control “is not completely conclusive, but its findings do show an association between the use of aspirin and the onset of Reye’s Syndrome in children and teen-agers.”

She said that the findings make it “urgent that CDC vigorously pursue the full-scale study” now under way.