Arthritis Drug Linked to Heart Failure
Arthritis Drug Linked to Heart Failure
Vioxx, but Not Celebrex, Found to Increase Heart Failure
May 27, 2004 -- A new report from Canadian researchers shows an increased risk for heart failure among elderly people using the drug Vioxx. This comes after several previous studies have linked the widely used arthritis drug to increased heart attack risk.
Researchers examined hospital records for 39,000 elderly residents of Ontario, Canada after they were prescribed the arthritis drugs Vioxx or Celebrex or older nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen. They were compared with another 100,000 elderly people who did not take any of the drugs.
Researchers did not see an increase in hospital admissions because of heart failure among patients who took Celebrex. However, compared with Celebrex users, those taking Vioxx were 80% more likely to be admitted to the hospital with heart failure. There was a slight increase for those taking older NSAIDs but the findings were not strong enough to tell for sure.
Vioxx and Celebrex belong to a class of drugs called Cox-2 inhibitors -- so called because they calm inflammation by blocking an enzyme called Cox-2. They were developed to help decrease the risk of side effects, such as stomach ulcers and bleeding, and kidney problems, sometimes seen with the older NSAIDs.
Researcher Muhammad Mamdani, PharmD, says the study shows important differences between the older NSAIDs and the two Cox-2 inhibitors with respect to heart failure risk.
But he explains that the message is not that one Cox-2 is safer for use by elderly patients, noting that increases in the number of patients requiring treatment for high blood pressure were seen among patients taking Vioxx and Celebrex as well as the older NSAIDs. However, more Vioxx patients required high blood pressure treatment than Celebrex patients. How Bextra, the newest Cox-2 inhibitor, fits into the picture is unknown as it was not included in Mamdani's study.
"There has been a rapid adoption of Cox-2 inhibitors into clinical practice, and I think that more judicious prescribing of these drugs is needed," Mamdani says.
A spokeswoman for Vioxx manufacturer Merck tells WebMD that the pharmaceutical company "is confident in [the drug's] overall safety and efficacy profile."
Arthritis Drug Linked to Heart Failure
Vioxx, but Not Celebrex, Found to Increase Heart Failure
May 27, 2004 -- A new report from Canadian researchers shows an increased risk for heart failure among elderly people using the drug Vioxx. This comes after several previous studies have linked the widely used arthritis drug to increased heart attack risk.
Researchers examined hospital records for 39,000 elderly residents of Ontario, Canada after they were prescribed the arthritis drugs Vioxx or Celebrex or older nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen. They were compared with another 100,000 elderly people who did not take any of the drugs.
Researchers did not see an increase in hospital admissions because of heart failure among patients who took Celebrex. However, compared with Celebrex users, those taking Vioxx were 80% more likely to be admitted to the hospital with heart failure. There was a slight increase for those taking older NSAIDs but the findings were not strong enough to tell for sure.
Vioxx and Celebrex belong to a class of drugs called Cox-2 inhibitors -- so called because they calm inflammation by blocking an enzyme called Cox-2. They were developed to help decrease the risk of side effects, such as stomach ulcers and bleeding, and kidney problems, sometimes seen with the older NSAIDs.
Important Differences
Researcher Muhammad Mamdani, PharmD, says the study shows important differences between the older NSAIDs and the two Cox-2 inhibitors with respect to heart failure risk.
But he explains that the message is not that one Cox-2 is safer for use by elderly patients, noting that increases in the number of patients requiring treatment for high blood pressure were seen among patients taking Vioxx and Celebrex as well as the older NSAIDs. However, more Vioxx patients required high blood pressure treatment than Celebrex patients. How Bextra, the newest Cox-2 inhibitor, fits into the picture is unknown as it was not included in Mamdani's study.
"There has been a rapid adoption of Cox-2 inhibitors into clinical practice, and I think that more judicious prescribing of these drugs is needed," Mamdani says.
Vioxx Maker Responds
A spokeswoman for Vioxx manufacturer Merck tells WebMD that the pharmaceutical company "is confident in [the drug's] overall safety and efficacy profile."
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