Before long, rofecoxib and its sister drug, valdecoxib, were withdrawn from the market at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As major purveyors of NSAID therapy, I think we have all become skittish about their use in many of our patients.
When a kid tinkers with a chemistry set, there may be a flash and a charred kitchen wall. When doctors tinker with nature, the damage may be much harder to repair.
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Simon M. Helfgott, MD, is associate professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology, immunology and allergy at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
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