Arthritis Painkiller Doubles Risk to Heart, Says Study
By Louise Gray
A PAINKILLER widely used by arthritis sufferers in Scotland more than doubles the risk of heart attacks, according to a new study.
Celebrex is the latest drug of its kind found to increase the risk of heart problems in clinical studies.
Two other drugs in the Cox-2 inhibitor family, Vioxx and Bextra, have already been withdrawn after similar findings raised safety concerns.
In a study involving more than 4,000 patients, Celebrex, which is the most commonly used Cox-2 inhibitor, was found to increase the risk of heart attacks by 2.26 times.
Arthritis charities said the study will cast doubt on the use of Cox-2 inhibitors.
However, the manufacturers, Pfizer, said other studies show Celebrex is safe and it will remain on the market.
Cox-2 inhibitors were introduced as an alternative to traditional painkillers that can cause bleeding in the stomach. They were hailed as “miraculous” treatments for chronic conditions like arthritis.
But the new family of drugs was also found to have side effects. In September 2004 Vioxx was voluntarily withdrawn from sale following evidence linking it to heart problems. In April last year Bextra was also withdrawn. The findings led the European Medicine Agency to advise that Cox-2 inhibitors should not be given to patients with heart disease or stroke.
However, Professor Richard Beasley, from the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand in Wellington, who led the study, said: “Drug regulatory authorities need urgently to re-examine the assessment of the drug in light of these findings.”
The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, set out to see if Celebrex carried the same risks as Vioxx.
Four studies compared the effects of Celebrex with a placebo, and found that patients taking the drug were more than two times more likely to suffer a heart attack.
Prof Beasley added: “Given the popularity of this in the treatment of arthritis, drug regulators must undertake an up-to- date risk assessment based on the findings presented here.”
At the time Vioxx was withdrawn, Celebrex was sold to around 600,000 UK patients.
Jane Tadman, of the Arthritis Research Campaign, said the drug is still widely used among the 700,000 sufferers in Scotland.
“It means that there is less choice for people with arthritis but patient safety is paramount,” she added. Pfizer said a study of more than 44,000 patients found Celebrex did not increase the risk of heart attack any more than traditional painkillers.