Do COX-2 selective inhibitors reduce gastrointestinal complications compared to traditional NSAIDs?
COX-2 selective inhibitors reduce gastrointestinal complications compared to traditional NSAIDs, though this benefit is attenuated with concomitant low-dose aspirin.
C yclooxyenase (COX)-2 selective inhibitors were devel- oped to create a new class of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with properties similar to those of nonselective NSAIDS but without their potential COX-1-mediated gastrointestinal toxicities. Studies of the various COX-2 selective inhibitors have shown that they are in fact associated with a significantly lower risk of upper and lower gastrointestinal complications than traditional NSAIDs, except in patients who are taking concomitant low-doses of aspirin.
William B. White (2007) studied this question.