Are selective COX 2 inhibitors superior to traditional non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs?
Popular arthritis drugs, known as selective COX 2 inhibitors, may not be superior to traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, conclude researchers in this week’s BMJ. A study published in September 2000 concluded that the COX 2 inhibitor, celecoxib, was associated with a lower rate of stomach and intestinal ulcers than two older drugs for arthritis. However, only data for the first six months of the study were published. When all the data were considered, the published results appeared to be clearly flawed. Two issues cause concern, say the researchers. The authors’ explanations for these serious irregularities were inadequate, and the flawed findings published in the original article appear to be widely distributed and believed by many physicians. They believe that an “industry independent” analysis of all trials of selective COX 2 inhibitors must be performed to include both published and unpublished data. They also call for the wide dissemination of the misleading results
