New research could pave the way to safer treatments for arthritis

The increased risk of heart attack or stroke associated with many arthritis drugs may be avoidable. The increased risk of heart attack or stroke associated with many arthritis drugs may be avoidable, according to a new international study co-authored by researchers at Imperial College London. Drugs such as Vioxx, diclofenac, ibuprofen and Celebrex operate by blocking an enzyme known as COX-2, whose presence in blood vessels has up until now been held responsible for these side effects. New research carried out on mice has revealed that COX-2 is largely absent from the major blood vessels and instead found in the brain, gut, and kidney as well as the thymus gland in the chest. Now that researchers know where in the body the drug is acting, they can begin to develop safer, more targeted drugs for patients with arthritis as well as cancer. Arthritis drugs have long been associated with potentially fatal cardiovascular side-effects in patients. Health concerns led to the anti-inflammatory Vioxx being withdrawn from the market in 2004, and this week medical regulators have advised some patients to stop using the painkiller diclofenac.