Rofecoxib is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) developed by Merck & Co. to treat osteoarthritis, acute pain conditions, and dysmenorrhoea. Rofecoxib was approved as safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 20, 1999 and was subsequently marketed under the brand name Vioxx®, Ceoxx® and Ceeoxx®.
Rofecoxib gained widespread acceptance among physicians treating patients with arthritis and other conditions causing chronic or acute pain. Worldwide, over 80 million people were prescribed rofecoxib at some time.
On September 30, 2004, Merck voluntarily withdrew rofecoxib from the market because of concerns about increased risk of heart attack and stroke associated with long-term, high-dosage use. Rofecoxib was one of the most widely used drugs ever to be withdrawn from the market. In the year before withdrawal, Merck had sales revenue of US$2.5 billion from Vioxx.
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09/13/2011 08:14 AM
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Separating a cancer prevention drug from heart disease risk
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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.
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02/22/2011 05:35 AM
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Why drugs increase risk of heart attacks and strokes: Analysis highlights cardiovascular risk of fluid retention
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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.
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01/11/2011 03:41 PM
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Common painkillers linked to increased risk of heart problems
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Commonly used painkillers for treating inflammation can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to an analysis of the evidence.
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12/02/2010 09:42 AM
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Widely used arthritis pill protects against skin cancer, study suggests
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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.
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11/29/2010 01:09 PM
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Celecoxib (Celebrex) may be effective in preventing non-melanoma skin cancers
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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.
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09/13/2010 12:36 PM
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Link between arthritis pain reliever and cardiovascular events discovered
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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.
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05/13/2010 11:35 AM
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Can Celebrex prevent cancer-causing colon polyps?
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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.
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12/14/2009 02:37 PM
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Painkiller undermines aspirin's anti-clotting action
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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.
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11/23/2009 02:14 PM
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Vioxx trial data shows early cardiovascular risk
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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.
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05/18/2009 02:33 PM
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Discovery In Colon Cancer Prevention
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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.
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04/29/2009 02:24 PM
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Potential Lung Disease Biomarkers Yield Clues To COX-2 Inhibitor Side Effects
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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.
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12/15/2008 11:09 AM
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Prostaglandin Receptor Key To Atherosclerosis Development
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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.
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01/24/2008 01:16 PM
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Popular Arthritis Drug May Disrupt Heart Rhythm, New Research Finds
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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.
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01/14/2008 02:38 PM
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Celecoxib Can Adversely Affect Heart Rhythm, Study Suggests
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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.
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08/27/2007 06:52 AM
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Vioxx Side-effects: Possible Explanation
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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.
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