How to Compare COX-2 Inhibitors for Arthritis Relief

Cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2)is an enzyme responsible for causing pain and inflammation, discovered in 1988. Its importance was immediately recognized, and the search began for COX-2 inhibitors. One benefit the COX-2 inhibitors have over other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for arthritis relief is the reduction in the rate of peptic ulcers. The following steps show how to compare COX-2 inhibitors for arthritis relief.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Compare Celecoxib with other COX-2 inhibitors. It is marketed under the brand name Celebrex and is currently the only COX-2 inhibitor approved for use in the United States.
2. Look at Etoricoxib. It is marketed as Arcoxia throughout the world and also as Algix and Tauxib in Italy. Its approval for use in the United States was withdrawn by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 27, 2007, due to insufficient data on efficacy and treatment.
3. Examine the approval history of Rofecoxib. It was approved as a safe and effective treatment for arthritis pain by the FDA on May 20, 1999, and marketed as Vioxx. It was voluntarily withdrawn from the United States market on September 30, 2004, due to concerns about increases in heart attacks and strokes.
4. Observe the approval history of Valdecoxid. Similar to Rofecoxib but marketed as Bextra, it was approved for use in the United States on November 20, 2001, and voluntarily withdrawn from that market on April 7, 2005.
5. Study Parecoxib. It's a prodrug of Valdecoxib that is injectable and water-soluble. Parecoxib is marketed as Dynastat in Europe, but its approval for use in the United States was withdrawn by the FDA on September 20, 2005.