Tests for heart risk could be used to bring a range of arthritis drugs back into use, British researchers have reported.
Cox-2 inhibitors were withdrawn because they were linked to increased risk of heart attack.
But researchers at Imperial College, London, say they are closing in on tests which could identify which users would be put at risk.
The research by Professor Jane Mitchell and Dr James Leiper involved laboratory mice and human volunteers and has led to discoveries about the impact of the drugs on the circulation.
Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, which backed the research, said: “More research is planned to see if a simple blood test can identify patients on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs who are at risk of a heart attack and whether a dietary supplement can reduce that risk.
“Success would pave the way for more effective and safer pain relief for thousands of arthritis sufferers.”
Evidence That Links Loss Of Cyclo-oxygenase-1 2 With Increased Asymmetric Dimethylarginine: Novel Explanation of Cardiovascular Side Effects Associated With Anti-inflammatory Drugs. Circulation 9 December 2014.
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