DESCRIPTION: Primarily concerned with Vioxx and Celebrex, Cox-2 Inhibitor Drugs inhibit enzymes that are involved in inflammation. Vioxx and Celebrex are two of the top three most highly advertised prescription pharmaceuticals the public has seen since the advent of direct to consumer advertising. Both products are classified as non-steroidal anti-inflmmatory agents (NSAIDs).

The distinctive characteristics that are highlighted by manufacturers and marketers of Vioxx and Celebrex is that they are "Cox-2" selective, and therefore, offer all the benefits of pain relief through decreasing inflammation in joints, but spare the body of the GI complications traditionally recognized with other NSAIDs. There are two primary concerns with these drugs. The first is based upon the FDA's adverse event reporting system. Based upon that reporting system, GI upset and complications remain the number one adverse events with both Celebrex and Vioxx, notwithstanding the marketing claims of Merck, Pharmacia and Pfizer. Secondly, based upon a meta analysis of previous study data, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic have associated an increased risk of "serious cardiovascular events", as the term is defined in an August 24, 2001 article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, with the use of these drugs when compared to Naproxen.
 

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