Jama Articles Suggests Celebrex, Vioxx Carry Cardiac Risk
Merck
& Co. had some aches and pains connected to
its arthritis medicine Vioxx, A new study said
both the Whitehouse Station drug maker's product
and Peapack-based Pharmacia's arthritis treatment,
Celebrex, could increase the chance of blood clots.
The research, based on clinical studies and U.S.
Food and Drug Administration reports, appeared
in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The research concluded that one in 200 patients
could suffer a heart attack while taking the two
drugs. Both companies issued statements following
the news declaring they stood by their products.
The drugs, which are money making pillars of the
two companies, ring up more than $5 billion in
combined atonal sales.
Vioxx and Celebrex,
both of them, belong to the same class of drug
that is relatively new and known as selective
COX-2 inhibitors. The function of selective COX-2
inhibitors is to control inflammation so they
block enzymes known as prostaglandins. The first
drug that came in the market was Celebrex that
came in 1999. Soon, a similar type of drug was
introduced known as Vioxx. The function of Vioxx
and Celebrex are same. Both of them are used for
the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis,
and other conditions that involve sever pain.
Large clinical trials were observed to find out
the effect of both the drugs on heart. It was
concluded that the present research is insufficient.
Present research reveals the fact that there is
a very small risk of heart attack by the use of
COX-2 inhibitors. |
