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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> This latest study in Hepatology focuses on a whole new safety issue, however: kidney problems.
The drugs known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories have long been associated with kidney failure in patients with cirrhosis of the liver. But there's been some evidence indicating that cox-2 inhibitors -- a subclass within the category of NSAIDs -- may be exempt from this problem.
In their study, the researchers from Barcelona's Hospital Clinic compared Celebrex with the traditional NSAID naproxen and a placebo in 28 patients with cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis, which is often linked to excessive drinking, occurs when scar tissue impedes normal liver function.
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All the study participants were randomly assigned to receive five doses of Celebrex, naproxen or placebo over a period of five days. The final analysis was based on data from 18 individuals.
Based on this short-term data, Celebrex turned out to be safer than naproxen, having no effect on kidney function.
Regardless, experts still advise caution.
"Most physicians and patients also recognize that these drugs, whether they're selective or non-selective, should only be given when absolutely indicated," Friedman said.
The long-term effects of the drugs are still an open question and the study authors did acknowledge the need for more research in this area.
"They did not assess long-term safety, but if there was a clear indication for a cox-2 for short-term use -- for example, patients who had musculoskeletal or orthopedic issues that required short-term treatment -- the data would suggest that a cox-2 would be safer than a traditional NSAID," Friedman said.
Also, all of the patients in the study had very stable disease, he added. "It would not be appropriate to extrapolate this to the use of cox-2 selective antagonists in patients with more advanced liver disease," Friedman said. "These patients had stable cirrhosis and were otherwise healthy."
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