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More drug concerns, this time with over-the-counter naproxen (Aleve)

–December 21, 2004

National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers have halted a trial after finding people taking naproxen, sold under the brand name Aleve, were 50 percent more likely to have heart attack or strokes. The study was trying to determine if naproxen or the arthritis drug Celebrex could be used to treat Alzheimer's disease.

The NIH study appeared to go against a National Cancer Institute study that last week revealed Celebrex users had a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. Even though the NIH did not find a higher likelihood of those problems in Celebrex users, the researchers no longer allowed patients in the trial to take Celebrex after safety warnings were issued.

Although the NIH study's principal investigator, Dr. John Breitner, could not explain why no evidence of Celebrex problems was detected in the Alzheimer's study, some experts say side effects risks sometimes do not even appear in studies of several thousand patients. A total of 70 patients in the Alzheimer's study suffered heart attacks or strokes, including those taking Aleve, Celebrex and a placebo leading to 23 deaths.

The FDA issued a warning to naproxen (Aleve) users to contact their doctors and avoid taking the drug for more than 10 days. Patients in the study are no longer being given naproxen until questions are resolved, according to Breitner.

For more information on naproxen and aleve side effects, please contact us to confer with a Naproxen Lawyer and learn your legal rights and options.


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