Arcoxia is another Cox II inhibitor drug, however, and may face renewed scrutiny as a result of the problems associated with Vioxx.
And Pharmacia's new injectable COX-2 inhibitor, called Dynastat, could supplement or even supersede morphine.
AstraZeneca has doped its version of a COX-2 inhibitor with nitrous oxide--laughing gas--to soften the gastrointestinal blow.
Bextra, another Cox-2 inhibitor made by Pfizer, increased the risk of side effects, including heart attack in trials of patients undergoing heart surgery.
MEDAL, he says, should be "terrific" for demonstrating whether a more powerful Cox-2 inhibitor confers more risk to the heart than a weaker one.
Nissen frets that Merck is comparing Arcoxia to diclofenac, a drug that itself is thought to be a Cox-2 inhibitor that poses some cardiovascular risk.
COX-2 inhibitor drugs, such as Celebrex, should remain on the market.
It was hypothesized, therefore, that a COX-2 inhibitor could be of value in eliminating these polyps and preventing colon cancer in people predisposed to such polyps.
FORBES: Vioxx and Diclofenac: Why Are Two Heart Risky Pain Drugs Viewed Differently?
In early-stage human trials in May 2000, scientists observed 66% fewer stomach erosions in 31 patients treated with a nitrous oxide version of a COX-2 inhibitor versus naproxen.
Six chemists spent long nights paging through piles of dusty chemistry journals in the Monsanto library to see if anyone had invented a COX-2 inhibitor without realizing it.
Some supporters of a bigger government role in health care claim that drug companies often produce "me-too" medications and have cited Vioxx and Celebrex, both of the COX-2 inhibitor class.
Costa believes any new Cox-2 inhibitor could be competitive.
Now, however, there are data showing some sign of heart risk for every Cox-2 inhibitor ever approved in the U.S. Vioxx doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke in one cancer prevention study, and now the same is true for Celebrex.
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