Anti Inflammatory News and Research

RSS

Celebrex provides a two pronged attack against prostate cancer

Celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor with promising anti-cancer properties, has now been found to attack prostate cancer cells in a second way that differs from Vioxx (rofecoxib), another anti-inflammatory drug that also inhibits COX-2.

1 Mar 2005

Short-term use of selective COX-2 inhibitors may be safe for patients with cirrhosis of the liver

Short-term use of selective COX-2 inhibitors may be safe for patients with cirrhosis of the liver, according to a recent study that compared the effects of celecoxib, naproxen, and a placebo on cirrhotic patients in a double-blind randomized controlled study.

22 Feb 2005

When breast augmentation or reduction cases are medically necessary

Traditionally, breast augmentation and reduction surgeries are defined by health insurers as cosmetic. It's a definition that often puts patients at odds with health insurers. Payers have difficulty deciding if breast augmentation or reduction cases are medically necessary.

22 Feb 2005

Vioxx doubles risk of heart attacks and strokes

The largest prospective trial ever examining the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx as a chemoprevention agent found that the risk of developing a cardiovascular "event" - heart attacks and/or strokes - was almost double in patients who received the drug, compared to patients who took the placebo, according to a study out Feb. 15 on-line in The New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Feb 2005

Findings could lead to new asthma treatment based on individual genetic profiles

Children who suffer from acute asthma attacks share a genetic profile that appears to be unique to these children, according to a new study by researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The discovery opens the door to the possibility of designing treatments specifically tailored to children who suffer from the severest forms of asthma.

7 Feb 2005

Painful surgical adhesions may be preventable by taking the COX-2 inhibitor Celebrex

Adhesions – bands of scar tissue that bind together two internal body surfaces – develop in 55 percent to more than 90 percent of patients undergoing surgery, depending on the type of operation. They are part of normal healing, but when surfaces fuse together that shouldn't, serious pain and complications can result.

26 Jan 2005

Vioxx could have caused 140000 excess cases of coronary heart disease in the USA since 1999

The arthritis drug Vioxx could have caused an estimated 88 000–140 000 excess cases of serious coronary heart disease in the USA since its launch in 1999, concludes a study published online by The Lancet.

24 Jan 2005

More studies on risks and benefits of COX-2 inhibitors

A group of studies published in the January 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine add to the growing body of medical literature about the cardiovascular risks that may be associated with the class of pain-relieving drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors.

24 Jan 2005

Use of anti-inflammatory steroids for traumatic head injuries may actually increase the risk of death

The common use of anti-inflammatory steroids for traumatic head injuries like those from car crashes may actually increase the risk of death, according to a new review of studies about the treatment.

24 Jan 2005

Over-eating at an early age may stay well into adulthood

Melbourne researchers have found that over-eating at a very young age can have a long-lasting effect on the body and in particular seems to enhance the production of hormones made in fat and involved in metabolism.

24 Jan 2005

Are NSAIDS enough for cancer pain?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are effective in managing cancer pain with few side effects, according to a new review of a number of studies.

24 Jan 2005

Heart patients with gastrointestinal complications should use low doses of aspirin combined with drugs that treat stomach ulcers

Physicians are challenged in treating heart patients who may be at high-risk for gastrointestinal bleeding from aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Factors that place patients at high-risk include a history of ulcers or gastrointestinal complications such as bleeding, increased age and congestive heart failure.

20 Jan 2005

Physicians should avoid prescribing Bextra altogether

Physicians should avoid prescribing Bextra altogether, or use it only as a drug of last resort, says a researcher from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues in an editorial published on-line Jan. 17 in Circulation, a publication of the American Heart Association.

19 Jan 2005

Further evidence for the role of cyclooxygenases (COX) in heart-disease risk

In two articles, published in Circulation, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine provide further evidence for the role of cyclooxygenases (COX) in heart-disease risk.

17 Jan 2005

Lifting weights can help people with multiple sclerosis

Lifting weights can improve muscle strength and quality of life for people afflicted with the degenerative disease multiple sclerosis, a new University of Florida study finds.

17 Jan 2005

Alvesco now available for asthma sufferers in the United Kingdom

Altana AG has announced that Alvesco (Ciclesonide), a novel inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) for the treatment of adults (18+ years) suffering from persistent asthma is now available for the first time in the United Kingdom (UK).

17 Jan 2005

Committees will weigh up COX-2 benefits and risks

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a joint public meeting of the agency's Arthritis Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee to be held February 16, 17 and 18, 2005.

16 Jan 2005

Trial of naproxen and celecoxib suspended

Use of study drugs in a large, federally funded Alzheimer prevention trial has been suspended following a decision by the study's leadership on Dec. 17, 2004.

9 Jan 2005

Promising new evidence for the optimal use of biologic therapies for rheumatoid arthritis

A major cause of pain and disability, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is also potentially the most treatable form of chronic arthritis. Researchers, doctors, and patients agree that a group of drugs called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can effectively reduce joint pain and stiffness.

7 Jan 2005

Women need less morphine after hysterectomies with new treatment

Women recovering from hysterectomies require less morphine to combat pain and are able to recover their lung function more quickly when they receive a combination of two non-morphine-like or “non-opioid” drugs as part of their treatment, a new Queen’s study shows.

5 Jan 2005