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.