Study Raises Concerns About Cox-2 Drug Risks, Paper Reports
Philadelphia, Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- A new class of painkillers which includes Monsanto Co.'s Celebrex cause changes in the body that may boost a patient's chance of heart attacks or strokes, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, citing Dr. Garret FitzGerald, senior author of a University of Pennsylvania study on the drugs. Clinical trials have shown no such effects of the drugs, known as Cox-2 inhibitors, although the risks may be so small that the effects won't appear until thousands more people begin using them, said FitzGerald. Philip Needleman, a president at Monsanto's Searle drug unit who helped conceive of Cox-2 drugs at Washington University, said there's ''no scientific or clinical support'' for Penn's hypothesis, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the paper said.
Celebrex and other Cox-2 inhibitors are designed to offer the same benefits as current painkillers with fewer side effects such as bleeding and ulcers for people who take pain medication for chronic conditions such as arthritis.
(Philadelphia Inquirer 2/1 D12 www.phillynews.com)
12:06:54 02/02/1999
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