So the latest study about the Cox-2s shows not only that they give heart trouble, they’re used for people who shouldn’t need them, etc, etc, etc. No this study shows that they don’t even do what they’re supposed to do—they are no better than NSAIDS in preventing stomach bleeding

British scientists said on Friday they had found no evidence that prescription painkillers designed to protect against stomach bleeding were safer than older drugs.Julia Hippisley-Cox, of the University of Nottingham in England, said she had found no proof the painkillers, known as COX-2 inhibitors, were less likely to cause gastrointestinal bleeding than aspirin or other treatments called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).

A benighted class of drugs, forsooth, as the 7,000 soon to be laid-off Merck employees must be thinking.