Impact of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors : are they fulfilling their promises?

Editorial: In this month’s issue of the Internal Medicine Journal, Joshua et al. analyse the patterns of use of the highly selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors during the first 16 months of their release into the Australian market, and attempt a partial assessment of their costs and benefits.1 The COX-2 inhibitors were of course developed in the hope that the human and financial costs of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)- induced ulcers would be reduced, but also in the realisation that the drug costs of NSAID treatment would be bound to increase – at least while the new drugs have patent protection.