The role of aspirin in preventing cardio­vascular events has been back in the news, following publication last year of three large clinical trials on the subject.

One of them was the ASPREE ­(Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) study. Its keenly awaited results confirmed the stance of Australian guideline developers that low-dose aspirin for primary prevention in healthy older patients is likely to do more harm than good.

In addition to these findings, the trial also demonstrated the increasing participation of primary care doctors in research: GPs recruited more than 19,000 participants aged 70 or older, making ASPREE the largest clinical trial ever conducted in Australia.

ASPREE medical and data manager Dr Jessica Lockery, from Monash University, and colleagues say the trial’s ­success partly stemmed from the decision to reimburse practices for their involvement, and to recognise GPs as associate investigators.