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A new arthritis drug made by Merck & Co. causes fewer stomach disorders and complications than an older painkiller, researchers said today.
They analysed the results of three clinical trials to assess the safety of Merck's drug etoricoxib -- sold under the name Arcoxia -- as compared with diclofenac.
Arcoxia is a COX-2 inhibitor while diclofenac belongs to an older class of therapies known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs, which includes aspirin and ibuprofen.
"Our results indicate that the rate of clinically important upper gastrointestinal events was lower with the COX-2 selective inhibitor etoricoxib than it was with the traditional NSAID diclofenac," said Dr. Loren Laine of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles.
There were fewer ulcers in patients taking the new drug and more patients continued to take the treatment, she added.
NSAIDs, which are taken by arthritis patients, relieve pain by blocking the action of enzymes which control inflammatory responses. Although they are effective, the drugs can cause ulcers and dangerous stomach bleeding.
COX-2 inhibitors were designed as a safer long-term alternative to NSAIDs but have been linked with an increased risk of heart attacks.
Vioxx, an older COX-2 inhibitor also made by Merck, was pulled from the market in 2004 after research showed it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke in people who took it for at least 18 months.
Laine and her team, who reported their finding in The Lancet medical journal, compared stomach problems such as bleeding, obstruction and ulcers in nearly 35,000 arthritis patients in the trials.
Merck said the findings were important. Arcoxia is sold in 62 countries but is not yet approved for sale in the United States.
A study published in November found Arcoxia did not raise heart risks as compared to diclofenac, but Dr. Steve Nissen, an expert on such drugs at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, questioned whether it was useful to compare a new drug to diclofenac, which is known to cause many side-effects.
- REUTERS
