Etoricoxib for arthritis and pain management

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Authors: Peter Brooks, Paul Kubler

Published Date January 2006 Volume 2006:2(1) Pages 45 - 57

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/TCRM.S

Peter Brooks¹, Paul Kubler²

¹Executive Dean (Health Sciences), Edith Cavell Building, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Queensland, Australia; ²Staff Specialist Clinical Pharmacology/Rheumatology, Royal Brisbane Hospital & Royal Women’s Hospital and Health Service Districts, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Abstract: Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including selective

cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors, have come to play an important role in the pharmacologic management of arthritis and pain. Clinical trials have established the efficacy of etoricoxib in osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, acute gouty arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, low back pain, acute postoperative pain, and primary dysmenorrhea. Comparative studies indicate at least similar efficacy with etoricoxib versus traditional NSAIDs. Etoricoxib was generally well tolerated in these studies with no new safety findings during long-term administration. The gastrointestinal, renovascular, and cardiovascular tolerability profiles of etoricoxib have been evaluated in large patient datasets, and further insight into the cardiovascular tolerability of etoricoxib and diclofenac will be gained from a large ongoing cardiovascular outcomes program (MEDAL). The available data suggest that etoricoxib is an efficacious alternative in the management of arthritis and pain, with the potential advantages of convenient once-daily administration and superior gastrointestinal tolerability compared with traditional NSAIDs. 

Keywords: etoricoxib, cyclooxygenase-2, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, arthritis, pain