Source: The Guardian
Date: December 24, 2002
Celebrex Does Not Reduce Risk of Ulcer
Patients using Celebrex, the arthritis drug designed to avoid ulcers, had a 5 percent chance of suffering more bleeding from their ulcers, according to a new study.
Celebrex, as well as Vioxx, are painkillers called COX-2 inhibitors. Patients taking older painkillers, known as noomega-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), often suffered from stomach-related side effects. This newer class of drugs was designed to reduce these side effects, however, debate has begun over whether the drugs actually reduce the incidence of ulcers.
Moreover, insurance companies are often reluctant to cover Celebrex and Vioxx, as they are more expensive than other painkillers, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, and have not been proven to kill pain any better.
The study found that among Celebrex patients, the chance of recurrent bleeding over a six-month period was 4.9 percent, compared with a 6.4 percent rate for those taking the painkiller diclofenac in addition to ulcer drug Prilosec.
Researchers concluded that the difference between the two drugs was not great enough to promote one over the other.
Celebrex has generally gained popularity over Vioxx because of concerns that Vioxx raises the risk of heart-related side effects among patients taking the medicine.
Older painkillers target two groups of proteins, COX-2 enzymes and COX-1 enzymes. COX-1 enzymes protect the lining of the stomach, so Celebrex and Vioxx are designed to target only COX-2, leaving COX-1 alone. The intended result was that this would help protect the stomach lining.