Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Terminated
Administrative data
NCT number |
NCT02502006 |
Other study ID # |
820715 |
Secondary ID |
5U54HL117798 |
Status |
Terminated |
Phase |
Phase 1
|
First received |
|
Last updated |
|
Start date |
November 2015 |
Est. completion date |
September 2022 |
Study information
Verified date |
November 2023 |
Source |
University of Pennsylvania |
Contact |
n/a |
Is FDA regulated |
No |
Health authority |
|
Study type |
Interventional
|
Clinical Trial Summary
This research study will evaluate inter-individual variability in the response to the
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), celecoxib and naproxen, among healthy adults.
It will also investigate what factors, like age, sex, or genetic background, cause this
variability.
Description:
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used for the treatment of
inflammatory pain. Pain is a highly subjective experience, and selecting an analgesic regimen
that provides optimal pain relief for a specific patient can be challenging. Moreover,
patients often express a preference for a particular NSAID, raising the possibility that the
efficacy in relieving pain is variable among individuals. However this has never been studied
systematically. The clinical decision-making process has been further complicated by the
recognition that NSAIDs cause serious thrombotic adverse events in some patients (1).
Elucidating the factors that influence an individual patient's risk of cardiovascular
complications and the likelihood of analgesic efficacy will enable clinicians to prescribe
NSAIDs rationally in order to maximize their therapeutic benefit while minimizing the risk of
adverse cardiovascular events.
NSAIDs are a chemically diverse class of therapeutic agents that exert their analgesic and
anti-inflammatory effects via inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and/or COX-2, enzymes that
catalyze the first committed step in prostaglandin (PG) synthesis. PGs produce a diverse
array of biologic effects via activation of prostanoid receptors, and play important roles in
a variety of pathologic and homeostatic processes (2). COX-2 is readily induced in response
to pro-inflammatory stimuli and has been considered the primary source of inflammatory PGs.
In contrast, the production of PGs with homeostatic functions, such as gastric epithelium
cytoprotection, has been ascribed to COX-1, which is constitutively expressed in most tissues
(2). Consequently, COX-2-selective NSAIDs, including rofecoxib, valdecoxib, and celecoxib,
were developed in order to retain the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of inhibition
of COX-2-derived PG formation, while avoiding the gastrointestinal toxicity of traditional
NSAIDs (i.e. aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc) that inhibit both isoforms. Although fewer
gastrointestinal complications were observed in clinical trials, treatment with
COX-2-selective NSAIDs increased the risk of serious cardiovascular adverse events, including
myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure (1,3).
The risk of thrombotic events associated with the use of NSAIDs, particularly those selective
for COX-2, is mediated via suppression of COX-2-derived prostacyclin formation in endothelial
and vascular smooth muscle cells (4,5). Prostacyclin possesses potent anti-thrombotic and
vasodilatory effects, and thus acts as a general inhibitor of platelet activation in vivo
(2). Traditional NSAIDs also inhibit COX-2 in the vasculature, but the associated risk of
thrombosis is mitigated to some extent by inhibition of formation of thromboxane A2 (TxA2), a
COX-1-derived PG released by activated platelets that promotes platelet activation and
aggregation (1,3). Thus, the risk of thrombosis for a particular NSAID is dependent upon its
relative selectivity for COX-2 over COX-1 (3,6). In addition to their effects on vascular PG
production, all NSAIDs inhibit renal PG formation, resulting in sodium retention and
hypertension, which may further augment cardiovascular risk (1,3,7).
Currently, it is recommended that NSAIDs be avoided or used only for a limited duration in
patients classified as high cardiovascular risk (8). These recommendations are supported by
studies demonstrating that even short-term NSAID use increased the incidence of
cardiovascular events in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (9,10) and
following a myocardial infarction (11,12). However, long-term treatment with COX-2-selective
NSAIDs also increased the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients considered to be at
low baseline risk (13,14), consistent with risk transformation due to atherogenesis and
indicating traditional cardiovascular risk factors alone are not sufficient to guide
therapeutic decisions. Thus, additional studies are necessary to define comprehensively the
factors that modify the cardiovascular risk of NSAID use and facilitate the progressive
personalization of NSAID therapy.