CV Risk with Etoricoxib vs. Diclofenac

Cardiovascular outcomes with the traditional NSAID diclofenac and the still-unapproved selective COX-2 inhibitor etoricoxib were compared by researchers who pooled results from three non–placebo-controlled randomized trials.

The cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor etoricoxib (Arcoxia) is not yet approved by the U.S. FDA. Now, the manufacturer of etoricoxib has funded a study comparing cardiovascular outcomes with that agent and with diclofenac, a traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used often in Europe. The researchers pooled data from three similarly designed randomized trials comparing the two drugs (MEDAL, EDGE, and EDGE II). About 35,000 patients (roughly 25,000 with osteoarthritis and 10,000 with rheumatoid arthritis; mean age, 63) were randomized to receive etoricoxib (either 60 mg or 90 mg daily) or diclofenac (75 mg twice daily or 50 mg thrice daily); dosing depended on the trial. Mean treatment duration was 18 months.

Thrombotic cardi…

Reviewing Author

Beat J. Meyer, MD

CV Risk with Etoricoxib vs. Diclofenac

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Reviewing Author