Celecoxib is used to relieve pain, tenderness, swelling and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis (arthritis caused by a breakdown of the lining of the joints), rheumatoid arthritis (arthritis caused by swelling of the lining of the joints), and ankylosing spondylitis (arthritis that mainly affects the spine). Celecoxib is also used to treat painful menstrual periods and pain from other causes. It is also used with surgery and other treatments to reduce the number of polyps (abnormal growths) in the colon (large intestine) and rectum in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (a condition in which hundreds or thousands of polyps form in the colon and cancer may develop). Celecoxib is in a class of NSAIDs called COX-2 inhibitors. It works by stopping the body's production of a substance that causes pain and inflammation.
If you've taken Celebrex®, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Call Walker & Walker Attorney Network at 1-800-THE-LAW2 (1-800-843-5292) for your free consultation. Or fill out the FREE CONSULTATION box on the left of this page now.
Brand Names:
Source: National Institute of Health and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc.,“Celecoxib", The MedMaster™ Patient Drug Information Database, 2006, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a699022.html (23 May 2007)
Warnings:
As of 4/7/2005 the FDA is also asking manufacturers of all marketed prescription NSAIDs, including Celebrex® (celecoxib), a COX-2 selective NSAID, to revise the labeling (package insert) for their products to include a boxed warning and a Medication Guide. The boxed warning will highlight the potential for increased risk of CV events with these drugs and the well-described, serious, and potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding associated with their use.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “COX-2 Selective and Non-Selective Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), The FDA Saftey Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program, 2005, http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2005/safety05.htm (30 May 2007)
For more information on drugs recently recalled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), please go to: US FDA: Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts.
Celebrex® is a registered trademark of Pfizer Inc.