We need processes in place to follow up suspicions about serious adverse events
Rofecoxib and a second cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, celecoxib, were approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in 1999 after large phase III randomised trials showed they were as effective as “traditional” non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in reducing pain and inflammation and less likely to cause gastric ulceration.1,2 Since then, COX-2 inhibitors have become one of the 10 most widely used prescription medicines in Australia, at a cost to the federal government of more than $200 million annually.3 However, uncertainty has surrounded the cardiovascular safety of rofecoxib (Vioxx; Merck Sharp & Dohme), and COX-2 inhibitors as a class, ever since an increased risk of cardiovascular events was reported among patients randomly allocated to the rofecoxib group in the VIGOR trial.1
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- 11. Fitzgerald GA. Coxibs and cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med 2004; 351: 1709-1710.
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- 13. Farkouh M, Kirshner H, Harrington RA, et al, on behalf of the TARGET Study Group. Comparison of lumiracoxib with naproxen and ibuprofen in the Therapeutic Arthritis Research and Gastrointestinal Event Trial (TARGET), cardiovascular outcomes: randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2004; 364: 675-684.
- 14. Ott E, Nussmeier NA, Duke PC, et al. Efficacy and safety of the cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors parecoxib and valdecoxib in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2003; 125: 1481-1492.
- 15. Zhang W, Jones A, Doherty M. Does paracetamol (acetaminophen) reduce the pain of osteoarthritis? A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Ann Rheum Dis 2004; 63: 901-907.
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Dr Langton has given advice to and/or talks for a variety of pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Merck Sharp & Dohme.