Many painkiller drug trials dropped...an article

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Many painkiller drug trials dropped

NEW YORK (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Concerns that drugs such as Vioxx and Celebrex might contribute to heart attacks and strokes have resulted in dozens of U.S. drug trials being shut down. Many of the drug trials were testing Vioxx, Celebrex and other painkillers on their effect on preventing colon cancer, prostate cancer and Alzheimer's disease, as well as two large international studies evaluating Celebrex to cut the risk of breast cancer or a recurrence, the Washington Post reported Sunday. "It's definitely been a big setback," said N. DuBois of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. The drugs, developed to relieve pain with fewer side effects, were being tested on diseases because of their ability to reduce inflammation, limit cell growth, inhibit the growth of blood vessels that nourish tumors and, in breast cancer, lower estrogen levels. Several researchers have voiced concerns the response to the potential risks was an overreaction and the drugs may pose less of a danger than initially suspected, or prove useful at lower doses.