Journal Top Ten, Columns-Drugs & Supplements, September 2005

ARTICLE: 'How celecoxib could be safer, how valdecoxib might have been'

JOURNAL: Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 2005 Sep;39(9):1542-5. Epub 2005 Aug 2.

SUMMARY: Following the actions of the Food and Drug Administration in April 2005, celecoxib became the only generally available cyclooxygenase-2 inhibiting antiinflammatory drug. The FDA instituted new precautions regarding the use of celecoxib and encouraged the use of "the lowest effective dose." This dose, as defined by the FDA and the package insert, is 200 mg/day for all patients; 200 mg/day of celecoxib is a strong dosage, equivalent to naproxen …