A study reveals that the pain medication Vioxx suppressed the production of enzymes that play a key role protecting the heart, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Vioxx was removed from the market in 2004 after a study originally showed that it doubled the risk of heart attack or stroke. Further research at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine showed that Vioxx blocked a single enzyme, Cox-2, that makes fats that cause pain.
One of these fats, however, protects the heart, and blocking Cox-2's production triggers biological effects that raise the cardiovascular risk even among healthy patients, said Garret FitzGerald, director of Penn's Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics.
Ameritex Launches Tool for Chronic Pain Assessment
Kentucky Physicians Express Concern Over New 'Pill Mill' Law
Vioxx was removed from the market in 2004 after a study originally showed that it doubled the risk of heart attack or stroke. Further research at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine showed that Vioxx blocked a single enzyme, Cox-2, that makes fats that cause pain.
One of these fats, however, protects the heart, and blocking Cox-2's production triggers biological effects that raise the cardiovascular risk even among healthy patients, said Garret FitzGerald, director of Penn's Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics.
Related Articles on Pain Management:
Pre-Op Educational Video May Reduce Patient PainAmeritex Launches Tool for Chronic Pain Assessment
Kentucky Physicians Express Concern Over New 'Pill Mill' Law