To: Tom Johnson who wrote (13695 ) 10/6/2004 1:28:27 PM From: Tom Johnson Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 14101 And as well (for those who missed this on SH) "Not to mention other things that could come suddenly, such as Celebrex suffering the same fate." Celebrex (generic name: celecoxib) and Vioxx (generic name: rofecoxib) have been linked to an increased risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. Celebrex and Vioxx are used to treat arthritis. The popular and heavily advertised arthritis drugs Vioxx and Celebrex have been linked by researchers to an increase in the risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. The study from the Cleveland Clinic appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association and was based on an analysis of previous clinical trials. Celebrex and Vioxx are projected to produce U.S. sales greater than $6 billion this year. In a study of more than 8,000 patients that compared the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib (Vioxx) with the traditional NSAID naproxen, the risk of cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, chest pain related to heart disease, stroke, sudden death and blood clots, was more than two times higher in the rofecoxib group than in the naproxen group. Vioxx and Celebrex are classified as and known as COX-2 inhibitors, or coxibs. COX-2 inhibitors, like older drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen, are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. Older NSAIDs reduce inflammation by blocking an enzyme called COX-2, but they also block another enzyme called COX-1. This enzyme helps protect the lining of the stomach, so blocking COX-2 can cause stomach irritation. COX-2 inhibitors only block COX-2, leaving the stomach-protecting COX-1 alone. The annual rates of heart attack in both the Celebrex (celecoxib) and Vioxx (rofecoxib) studies were increased compared to a review of studies containing a total of more than 48,000 patients. In those studies, 0.52% of patients taking an inactive placebo pill had a heart attack each year. The annual rate of heart attack was 0.74% for patients taking rofecoxib and 0.80% for those taking celecoxib.