Celebrex causes less ulcers than naproxen, says study

New data, presented at the annual European League Against Rheumatism meeting in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, show that 7% of patients taking a cardio-protective low-dose aspirin in combination with 200mg of Pfizer's Celebrex (celecoxib), for the treatment of arthritic pain, experienced gastric and duodenal ulcers, compared with 25.3% of those treated with aspirin and 500mg of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen. The data were derived from a study led by Jay Goldstein, professor of medicine at the University of Illinois, in Chicago, USA.

Dr Goldstein said that, while the beneficial effects of low-dose aspirin are well established, both it and naproxen are associated with increased risk of gastrointestinal complication due to their interaction with the COX-1 enzyme. He added that, by specifically targeting COX-2, Celebrex reduced such GI complications, although it still conferred a reduction in inflammation and pain.

The results of a second study, also discussed at the congress, supported the conclusion that combined aspirin plus Celebrex is cardio-protective and causes less upper GI damage than other regimens. In this trial, a 37% reduction in the number of gastric or duodenal ulcers was seen in those patients receiving Celebrex/aspirin treatment, versus those given aspirin and naproxen. The researchers concluded that, although the addition of Celebrex or naproxen to aspirin increased the risk of GI damage, the Pfizer drug resulted in less of a risk.