Celebrex Is No Riskier For Heart Than Other Arthritis Drugs, Study Finds

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A new study gives some reassurance to arthritis sufferers who want pain relief but are worried about side effects. It finds that Celebrex, a drug similar to ones withdrawn 12 years ago for safety reasons, is no riskier for the heart than some other prescription pain pills that are much tougher on the stomach. “We do not want patients to suffer with pain and we need to know what is safe to give them,” said Dr. Steven Nissen, the Cleveland Clinic’s heart chief, who led the study. Fear that Celebrex would be worse than alternatives proved unfounded, and “on almost every endpoint it actually comes out the best.” Some other doctors were less confident, partly because follow-up information was missing on one-fourth of the participants, and many others stopped taking their assigned drug. Still, several independent experts said the main results are believable. (Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images) “I find this reassuring,” said Dr. Brian Strom, a drug safety expert and chancellor at Rutgers University in Newark. No new side effects emerged and Celebrex “seemed safer that way.” Results were discussed Sunday at an American Heart Association conference and published by the New England Journal of Medicine. Here are some things to know about the study and options for soothing throbbing joints. WHAT’S THE WORRY ABOUT PAIN DRUGS? Many of the 52 million Americans with arthritis need long-term pain medicines an...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health News Arthritis Celebrex Source Type: news