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Celebrex: Drugs
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Celebrex is a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor that is FDA approved for the treatment of arthritis. Pre-clinical studies support the hypothesis that drugs that inhibit COX2 activity may be neuroprotective in subjects with ALS. Glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity and oxidative toxicity are possible factors in the pathogeneisis of ALS. Cyclooxygenase-2 may play a key role in these processes by producing prostaglandins, that trigger astrocytic glutamate release and by inducing free radical formation. COX-2 inhibition in an organotypic spinal cord culture model of ALS provided significant protection against loss of spinal motor neurons.1 Preliminary data suggests that COX-2 inhibition prolongs survival in the G93A mutant superoxide dismutase transgenic mouse model of ALS (Rothstein et al, unpublished data). Laboratory findings from the work of Drachman and Rothstein led to this clinical trial of Celebrex.
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Celebrex® (celecoxib) is a type of prescription pain medication known as a COX-2 selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or a COX-2 inhibitor. Celebrex®, Vioxx®, and Bextra® are the three so-called "miracle drugs" widely prescribed to relieve arthritis and menstrual pain. Both Bextra®; and Vioxx® were withdrawn from the marketplace in 2004 and 2005, respectively, because of associated health risks. Celebrex® remains available for prescription under careful monitoring by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Celebrex arthritis drug entered the U.S. marketed in January 1999 with record sales within the first 15 weeks. It did not take long for people to begin to question the "super aspirin" as reports linking Celebrex to death and serious side effects began to come in just three months on the market. Individuals looking for pain relief due to arthritis were suffering death, gastrointestinal hemorrhages, cardiovascular problems, kidney and liver damages, and ulcers.
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The prescription, Celebrex, is used to relieve the pain, tenderness, inflammation and stiffness caused by arthritis by targeting COX-2 inhibitors. These enzymes play a key role in pain and inflammation. The FDA approved Celebrex in 1999 for joint manufacture by Searle Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. According to the manufacturers, Celebrex has been prescribed millions of times since its approval and is currently the most frequently prescribed arthritis drug.
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Celebrex is ... related to the nonselective NSAIDs, such as Ibuprofen, known also by the brand names of Motrin and Advil, to name a few. In fact, the FDA recently advised manufacturers to revise their labeling and provide more specific information about the potential heart attack and gastrointestinal risks of their individual products. The FDA admits that its review board has not conducted long-term controlled clinical trials with most of these NSAIDs. They conclude, however, that the available data suggest that use of these drugs may pose a cardiovascular risk, similar to the Celebrex heart attack risk.
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Celebrex® is related to the arthritis drug Vioxx® (rofecoxib), which was withdrawn from the market in September, because it increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and vascular disease. Vioxx® was manufactured by Merck. Both Celebrex® and Vioxx® are nonsteroidal anti–inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that block cyclooxygenase, an enzyme needed for the production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins may cause inflammation and pain. Celebrex® and Vioxx® interfere with the form of cyclooxygenase known as COX–2, and are therefore referred to as COX–2 inhibitors.
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