Study: Celebrex and Vioxx Equally Effective in Treating Osteoarthritis

Celebrex® (celecoxib) and Vioxx® (rofecoxib) are equally effective in treating osteoarthritis pain, according to researchers at Cornell University's Weill Medical College in New York.

As reported in the November issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism, the researchers studied 475 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who received either 200 milligrams of celecoxib a day or 25 milligrams of rofecoxib a day for six weeks.

After six weeks of treatment, the patients who took celecoxib experienced a slightly greater improvement in pain levels than those taking rofecoxib. However, the researchers noted that the difference was not sufficient to conclude that celecoxib was superior to rofecoxib.

The researchers also found that these two treatments were both well tolerated throughout the study, with similar proportions of patients withdrawing due to adverse events.

Other sources: Arthritis and Rheumatism 2003 Nov;48(11):3102-11