Large-scale study of NSAIDS finds no link to heart attack

Washington

IN 2004, when drugmaker Merck voluntarily pulled the pain-reliever Vioxx off the market amid evidence that it increased the risk of heart attacks, concern naturally turned to its nearly identical rival, Celebrex.

The medication works the same way, by inhibiting production of an enzyme that causes pain and inflammation - as do naproxen, ibuprofen and others in the class of widely used analgesics known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).

Now, the first large-scale study of the three drugs finds that Celebrex poses no greater risk of heart attack, stroke, other cardiovascular problems or death than naproxen or ibuprofen. More surprisingly, said Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who led the nearly decade-long international researc…