FOLLOWING REPORTS of cardiovascular side effects associated with the use of Celebrex, The Ministry of Health is advising patients currently using the drug and any other in its class, to consult with their physicians if they have any concerns.
Patients are further advised to comply with the dosage regimen prescribed by their physicians a statement from the ministry of health said yesterday.
At the same time, the health ministry is considering withdrawing the entire class of drugs to which Celebrex belongs.
Celebrex is a prescription drug and should not be taken unless prescribed by a doctor. It belongs to a new class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) called Cox-2 inhibitors. Cox-2 or Cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors are prescribed for the treatment of pain and inflammation due to arthritis or other musculoskeletal disorders (e.g. sprains) and dysmenorrhoea (painful periods).
These drugs were introduced to the market in the late 1990s, the first being Celebrex (celecoxib), approved for use in Jamaica in 1999.
FIVE DRUGS
To date there are five drugs including one generic, from this family registered in Jamaica. These are: Celecoxib (Celebrex), Rofecoxib (Vioxx), Etorocoxib (Arcoxia), Lumiracoxib (Prexige) and Valdecoxib (Bextra).
Cox-2 inhibitors are generally considered safer than other NSAIDs since they do not cause the level of gastro-intestinal side effects such as bleeding commonly seen with the other NSAIDs.
The manufacturer of Vioxx voluntarily withdrew the drug from use worldwide on Septem-ber 30 of this year, after reports of increased potential for cardiovascular side effects from a clinical trial to see whether it could prevent colon cancer.
The cardiovascular side effects observed with Celebrex occurred when the drug was used at high doses in a similar trial.
Members of the local health ministry's central drugs and therapeutics committee met yesterday to review the reports regarding the recent development with these drugs. Since Vioxx was recently withdrawn, the committee sought to consider the class as a whole. However, in the absence of sufficient information to allow for full scientific review the committee decided on a follow-up meeting early in the new year as additional information is obtained.
