Celecoxib Promise In Arthritis

Searle's celecoxib, a selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor, has beenfound to successfully relieve pain and reduce inflammation in patients with arthritis flare-ups, according to data presented at the 19th Congress of the International League Against Rheumatism recently.

In the first study, 293 people with osteoarthritis of the knee at a flare-up stage were given either placebo or one of three doses of celecoxib (40mg, 100mg or 200mg) twice-daily for two weeks. Using various efficacy measurements, all celecoxib doses were found to offer significant pain relief over placebo. However, the higher two doses offered the greatest relief. All three doses were found to be well-tolerated, with the two most common side effects, headache and diarrhea, occurring equally in the treatment and placebo groups.

A second study, of six patients, investigated platelet aggregation changes following six-day dosing with celecoxib (400mg twice daily) and one day's therapy with aspirin (after a washout period). After the celecoxib regimen, no significant reductions in platelet activity were recorded. In contrast, a single dose of aspirin produced significant reductions in platelet activity. In addition, no serious gastrointestinal side effects were noted with celecoxib. Celecoxib is in Phase III testing in the USA and Europe, while earlier-stage studies are ongoing in Japan.