Sunday, 17 February 2013

Widely Used Diclofenac Associated With Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Events

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac, a drug that is frequently used for the treatment of pain and inflammation caused by arthritis, is associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular complications and should be removed from essential-medicines lists (EML), according to a newreview [1].

Diclofenac, which is listed on the EML of 74 countries, increased the risk of cardiovascular events between 38% and 63% in different studies. The increased risk with diclofenac was similar to the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib (Vioxx, Merck), a drug withdrawn from worldwide markets because of cardiovascular toxicity.

"We could find no-risk doses with some of the other drugs, like ibuprofen, naproxen, and celecoxib [Celebrex, Pfizer],"

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