http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/vioxx/ Vioxx News. Read about side effects of Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex. Read the latest medical and scientific information on Vioxx and the link between certain medications and heart attacks. en-us Sat, 26 May 2012 14:05:01 EDT Sat, 26 May 2012 14:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/vioxx/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502143846.htm After nearly 13 years of study and intense debate, a pair of new articles have confirmed exactly how a once-popular class of anti-inflammatory drugs leads to cardiovascular risk for people taking it. Wed, 02 May 2012 14:38:38 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502143846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913111410.htm Celecoxib reduces the risk of developing precancerous colon polyps, at the cost of increased heart disease risk. By looking closely at how celecoxib acts in the cell, it may be possible to get the benefit without the added risk. Celecoxib inhibits the enzyme GSK3, possibly accounting for its anticancer effects in multiple cell types. Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913111410.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110222083511.htm New research shows that medications which have raised safety concerns over heart attack and stroke risks may not have gotten approval from the US Food and Drug Administration if the cardiovascular effects of fluid retention had been better understood. Tue, 22 Feb 2011 08:35:35 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110222083511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110111184132.htm Commonly used painkillers for treating inflammation can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to an analysis of the evidence. Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:41:41 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110111184132.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101202124213.htm A widely used arthritis drug reduces the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancers -- the most common cancers in humans -- according to a new study. The COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (Celebrex), which is approved for the treatment of arthritis and acute pain, led to a 62 percent reduction in non-melanoma skin cancers. In the future, a combination of medications that include sunscreens and COX inhibitors or other protective therapies may be used to decrease the incidence of skin cancer. Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101202124213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101129160948.htm Celecoxib (also known by its brand name Celebrex) may help prevent non-melanoma skin cancers in patients with extensive actinic keratosis, which is often a precursor to these cancers, according to a randomized clinical trial. Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:09:09 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101129160948.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100913153632.htm Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism as to why the long-term, high-dosage use of the well-known arthritis pain medication, Vioxx, led to heart attacks and strokes. Their groundbreaking research may pave the way for a safer drug for millions of arthritis patients who suffer acute and chronic pain. Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100913153632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100513143538.htm Researchers are testing whether celecoxib, known by its brand name Celebrex, can help prevent the growth of precancerous polyps that form in the colon, rectum and small intestine of children with an inheritable genetic disease called familial adenomatous polyposis. Thu, 13 May 2010 14:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100513143538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091214173750.htm Millions of Americans take Celebrex for arthritis or other pain. Many, if they are middle-aged or older, also take a low-dose aspirin tablet daily to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Yet they may be getting little protection, because Celebrex keeps the aspirin from doing its job effectively, a new study suggests. Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091214173750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123171412.htm Evidence of cardiovascular risks associated with taking Vioxx, the popular, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (rofecoxib), could have been identified nearly four years before its manufacturer, Merck & Co. Inc., voluntarily pulled the drug from the market. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123171412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518173315.htm A new study finds that individuals who have low expression of the "Celebrex gene," 15-PGDH, are actually resistant to Celebrex treatment when used to prevent colon cancer. Mon, 18 May 2009 17:33:33 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518173315.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429172422.htm In searching for a simple way to identify individuals with smoking-related lung injury, scientists at have stumbled upon a potential explanation for why the class of pain-relievers known as COX-2 inhibitors increases the risk of heart problems among users. Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:24:24 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429172422.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215140940.htm Atherosclerosis -- a disease that includes the buildup of fatty, cholesterol-laden lumps of cells inside the artery wall -- is the underlying cause of heart attacks and strokes. Researchers have now demonstrated that a receptor for prostaglandin-E2 plays a key role in the development of atherosclerosis. The findings point to this receptor and its signaling pathways as molecular targets for modulating atherosclerosis development. Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:09:09 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215140940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124161621.htm Celebrex, a popular arthritis drug that blocks pain by inhibiting an enzyme known as COX-2, has been shown in laboratory studies to induce arrhythmia, or irregular beating of the heart, via a novel pathway unrelated to its COX-2 inhibition. Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:16:16 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124161621.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080114173854.htm COX-2 inhibitors like Celecoxib have come under scrutiny lately due to adverse cardiovascular side-effects stemming from COX-2 reduction. In both fruit fly and rat models, researchers reveal another adverse effect of Celecoxib; this drug can induce arrhythmia. More interestingly, this effect is independent of the COX-2 enzyme. Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080114173854.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070827095231.htm Vioxx and related pain medications were taken off the market in 2004 because they caused dangerous heart problems in some people. Scientists may now have figured out how these drugs trigger these life-threatening side-effects. Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:52:52 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070827095231.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070818102805.htm Adjunctive use of the COX-2 inhibitor celcoxib after stent implantation in patients with coronary artery disease appears safe and can reduce the need for revascularisation of the target lesion, conclude authors of a new article. But an accompanying comment warns that clinical trials suggest long-term use of celecoxib can expose patients to an additional risk of heart attack. Sat, 18 Aug 2007 10:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070818102805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070523181627.htm A colon cancer researcher has laid out in a recent article how he thinks medical science should employ aspirin and new aspirin-like drugs for use in preventing colon cancer in certain high-risk individuals. Wed, 23 May 2007 18:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070523181627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070517101745.htm Certain nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be better suited to treating cancer, in combination with standard therapies, rather than preventing it, according to new research. Thu, 17 May 2007 10:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070517101745.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070424155532.htm The US Food and Drug Administration has caused an unnecessary scare about some pain relievers by adding a warning to drugs that are safe, says Curt Furberg, M.D., Ph.D., from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. At the same time, he says the agency has failed to recognize the harm of a pain reliever that should be taken off the market. Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:55:55 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070424155532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070301081810.htm Drinking a nice warm cup of green tea has long been touted for its healthful benefits, both real and anecdotal. But now researchers have found that a component of green tea, combined with low doses of a COX-2 inhibitor, could slow the spread of human prostate cancer. Thu, 01 Mar 2007 08:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070301081810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061128084827.htm Efforts to understand the link between the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor arthritis drugs and heart disease have had an unanticipated benefit in leading to development of an engineered protein with "great potential" as a new treatment for heart disease, according to a new scientific report. Tue, 28 Nov 2006 08:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061128084827.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061120060431.htm A paper appearing this week in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Clinical Trials presents findings from a large National Institutes of Health sponsored trial regarding the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular safety of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, celecoxib and naproxen. The trial was initially conducted to test whether these drugs might prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Mon, 20 Nov 2006 06:04:04 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061120060431.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060925113458.htm The University of Cincinnati has developed a faster approach for informing consumers online when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdraws a medication. Researchers hope this new 24-hour update method will become the standard response system for Web sites carrying critical consumer health information. Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:34:34 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060925113458.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060915203524.htm Two new review studies evaluating the safety of the pain-relieving medications selective cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitors and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) find increased cardiovascular and kidney risks. The studies and an accompanying editorial were posted online today by JAMA because of the public health implications of the findings. The articles will appear in the October 4 print issue of JAMA. Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060915203524.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060912230236.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that deleting an inflammation enzyme in a mouse model of heart disease slowed the development of atherosclerosis. What's more, the composition of the animals' blood vessels showed that the disease process had not only slowed, but also stabilized. This study points to the possibility of a new class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that steer clear of heart-disease risk and work to reduce it. Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:02:02 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060912230236.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060830220508.htm An international team of scientists reports that a single 400-milligram daily dose of celecoxib, commonly called Celebrex and manufactured by Pfizer, significantly reduced recurrence of adenomas -- or pre-malignant colon tumors -- within three years of previous adenoma removal. Wed, 30 Aug 2006 22:05:05 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060830220508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060830215121.htm A researcher from Dartmouth reports the results of a clinical trial that shows that the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor rofecoxib reduces the risk of colorectal adenomas, or polyps. Wed, 30 Aug 2006 21:51:51 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060830215121.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060828211618.htm A newly discovered enzyme inhibitor, identified by researchers originally looking for biological pest controls, may lead to pain relief for sufferers of arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, say researchers at the University of California, Davis. The finding, hailed by a noted inflammatory disease expert "as the most important discovery in inflammation in more than a decade," may also reduce side effects associated with the painkiller, Vioxx. Mon, 28 Aug 2006 21:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060828211618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060602074341.htm High doses of some traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are associated with similar cardiovascular risks as the new generation of anti-inflammatory drugs known as COX 2 inhibitors (like Vioxx), finds a study in this week's British Medical Journal. Fri, 02 Jun 2006 07:43:43 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060602074341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060529102245.htm COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes may be blocked by pain medications such as Advil and Vioxx in a more complex manner than was previously understood, a Queen's University study has found. Mon, 29 May 2006 10:22:22 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060529102245.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060504081246.htm A new study led by Queen's University researcher Linda Lévesque shows that heart attacks related to the use of Vioxx -- a drug once popular for the treatment of pain and inflammation -- can occur within the first two weeks of use. Thu, 04 May 2006 08:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060504081246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060502172943.htm A quarter of patients who suffered a heart attack while taking Vioxx did so within the first two weeks of taking the drug, a new study published by MUHC investigators reveals. The research, scheduled for early online publication in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) today, demonstrates that cardiovascular risks from taking Vioxx may occur much earlier than previously believed. Tue, 02 May 2006 17:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060502172943.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060417124231.htm Researchers at Queen's University and the University of Pennsylvania have identified one reason why drugs like Celebrex and Vioxx -- once popular for the treatment of pain and inflammation -- cause heart problems. Mon, 17 Apr 2006 12:42:42 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060417124231.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060415115521.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have clarified the mechanism by which drugs like Celebrex and Vioxx cause heart problems, in multiple animal models. The findings offer the prospect of a new generation of anti-inflammatory drugs that bypass this issue. Sat, 15 Apr 2006 11:55:55 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060415115521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060403130703.htm Results from a new, five-year study show that regular use of popular prescription pain relievers may reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 71 percent and may offer similar benefit in the prevention of prostate, colon and lung cancers. Mon, 03 Apr 2006 13:07:07 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060403130703.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060130032351.htm Regular use of selective COX-2 inhibitors significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer. A case-control study published today in the open access journal BMC Cancer observed that daily use of selective COX-2 inhibitors, including celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx), was associated with a 71 percent reduction in the risk of breast cancer. Non-selective COX-2 inhibitors, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, also reduced the risk of breast cancer. Mon, 30 Jan 2006 03:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060130032351.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060118214940.htm Scientists believe that despite the current concerns around anti-inflammatory drugs like Vioxx, they may still be the best option for treating some forms of arthritis. Wed, 18 Jan 2006 21:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060118214940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060105085659.htm A study published in the January issue of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Gastroenterology found a difference in how people responded to popular painkillers and that up to 30 percent of this variability can be attributed to an individual's genetic make-up. This variation can influence both how useful the drugs are in affording relief from pain and inflammation, and the number and severity of the adverse effects. Thu, 05 Jan 2006 08:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060105085659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051114112914.htm Taking either COX-2 inhibitors or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) after a heart attack, especially in high doses, increases the risk of death, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2005. Mon, 14 Nov 2005 11:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051114112914.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050914105945.htm Low-dose aspirin might prevent the cardiovascular damage known to arise from use of the painkiller rofecoxib (Vioxx®), suggest new findings from mouse studies by Duke University Medical Center researchers. Their findings that a chemical imbalance might underlie such damage could also lead to the development of anti-inflammatory drugs without the adverse side effects, the researchers said. Wed, 14 Sep 2005 10:59:59 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050914105945.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050603061648.htm Women who take ibuprofen or aspirin daily for several years might face a higher risk of certain breast cancers, according to preventive medicine researchers in the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Fri, 03 Jun 2005 06:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050603061648.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050525110001.htm University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers have found additional evidence that may help explain how selective inhibitors of COX-2 might predispose individuals to heart disease and stroke. In Circulation Research, they report that a COX-2-derived fatty substance -- a prostaglandin called prostacyclin -- controls the blood-vessel response to stresses such as high-blood pressure, thereby further linking COX-2 inhibitors to an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Wed, 25 May 2005 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050525110001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050509102110.htm A new UCLA study shows that for arthritis sufferers at high-risk for gastrointestinal problems, the most cost-effective safer treatment is a common painkiller combined with an acid-reducing drug. The study, completed over a year ago, compares three competing therapies for chronic arthritis and shows that this drug combination was more cost-effective and safer than Cox-2 inhibitors. Mon, 09 May 2005 10:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050509102110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050419111857.htm The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a series of important changes pertaining to the marketing of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory class of drugs, including COX-2 selective and prescription and non-prescription (over-the-counter (OTC)) non-selective NSAID medications. Tue, 19 Apr 2005 11:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050419111857.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050411211308.htm Amid the recent controversy and confusion over serious side effects from pain medications, a new UCLA and Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System study demonstrates that for arthritis sufferers at high risk for gastrointestinal problems who traditionally may have used a drug like Vioxx, the most cost-effective and safest treatment is actually a common painkiller combined with an acid-reducing drug. Mon, 11 Apr 2005 21:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050411211308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050309104538.htm Celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor with promising anti-cancer properties, has now been found to attack prostate cancer cells in a second way that differs from Vioxx (rofecoxib), another anti-inflammatory drug that also inhibits COX-2. Wed, 09 Mar 2005 10:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050309104538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050218132538.htm An analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials involving COX-2 inhibitors (selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors) suggests that these agents raise blood pressure more than either conventional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or placebo, according to a study to be published in an upcoming issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Fri, 18 Feb 2005 13:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050218132538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050218131255.htm The largest prospective trial ever examining the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx as a chemoprevention agent found that the risk of developing a cardiovascular “event” –– heart attacks and/or strokes –– was almost double in patients who received the drug, compared to patients who took the placebo, according to a study out Feb. 15 online in The New England Journal of Medicine. Fri, 18 Feb 2005 13:12:12 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050218131255.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050217224933.htm Laboratory studies at Johns Hopkins have revealed that certain products of the enzymes COX-1 and COX-2 can both protect and damage the brain. The findings, published in the February 2005 issue of the Journal of Neurochemistry, offer tantalizing clues to why drugs like Vioxx and Celebrex, which block COX-2, can ease arthritis but potentially harm the heart and brain. Thu, 17 Feb 2005 22:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050217224933.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050205122443.htm New research published in the on-line version of the Annals of Internal Medicine today, documents an increased risk of heart attack with one of the COX-2 inhibitors used in elderly adults with no previous history of heart attack--a group previously considered low-risk. Sat, 05 Feb 2005 12:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050205122443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050126112643.htm In two articles, published in Circulation, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine provide further evidence for the role of cyclooxygenases (COX) in heart-disease risk. Wed, 26 Jan 2005 11:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050126112643.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050123210312.htm When Vioxx began being sold in 1999, it was touted for relieving pain without causing the gastritis and ulcers that some people developed from taking ibuprofen, naproxen and other painkillers known as non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. Sun, 23 Jan 2005 21:03:03 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050123210312.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050110113410.htm Cancer researchers at Jefferson Medical College and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have found that zinc treatment may help prevent esophageal and oral cancers in those individuals at high risk. Mon, 10 Jan 2005 11:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050110113410.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050104114149.htm The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Public Health Advisory summarizing the agency's recent recommendations concerning the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug products (NSAIDs), including those known as COX-2 selective agents. The public health advisory is an interim measure, pending further review of data that continue to be collected. Tue, 04 Jan 2005 11:41:41 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050104114149.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041220024404.htm Six months of treatment with celecoxib (Celebrex) in women at risk of developing breast cancer results in the reduction of estrogen receptor expression in breast cells, a research team at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has found. Mon, 20 Dec 2004 02:44:44 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041220024404.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041220003600.htm Today's announcement that Celebrex, a popular pain drug in the same family as Vioxx, has been found to pose an increased risk of heart problems is bound to leave many pain patients stunned, confused and worried. Mon, 20 Dec 2004 00:36:36 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041220003600.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041219115114.htm The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it has suspended the use of COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (Celebrex™ Pfizer, Inc.) for all participants in a large colorectal cancer prevention clinical trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Sun, 19 Dec 2004 11:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041219115114.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041206205711.htm In the first epidemiological study designed and executed specifically to determine the heart-attack risk associated with COX-2 inhibitors rofecoxib (Vioxx) and celecoxib (Celebrex), researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found a greater risk of heart attack associated with Vioxx than Celebrex, although neither of the two drugs showed a statistically significant elevated risk of heart attack relative to people who did not use the drugs. Mon, 06 Dec 2004 20:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041206205711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041117002303.htm Some new generation COX-2 inhibitors may not allow heart attack patients to recover fully, research indicates. Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a basic cellular process the body uses to balance pH in cells--also critical to recovery following a heart attack--is compromised by certain novel COX-2 inhibitors. Wed, 17 Nov 2004 00:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041117002303.htm