According to a new study, taking Celebrex, a pain killer, including a low-dose of aspirin daily for reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke, does not provide sufficient protection, as the pain killing drug prevents aspirin from performing effectively.

Researchers from University of Michigan have found several coxibs, the drug class which Celebrex belongs to, interfere with aspirin’s ability for discouraging blood clots, if low doses of aspirin are taken.

Currently, Celebrex or celecoxib, as it is also known is the only coxib on the market.

Patients with heart conditions, notably a serious form of angina known as unstable angina, or those patients at risk of second heart attacks are frequently advised by doctors to take a daily low- dose aspirin (81-mg). In unstable angina, small clots form in arteries and interfere with blood flow.

It is a well-known fact that aspirin discourages the formation of blood clots leading to heart attack and stroke.

In addition, arthritis patients taking Celebrex regularly are also recommended to take low-dose aspirin to counteract Celebrex’s own potential clot-promoting effect.

So, taking a higher aspirin dose or spreading the time between taking low-dose aspirin and Celebrex, could allow aspirin to be as effective as usual.

However, higher doses of aspirin can have undesirable effects on the gastrointestinal tract, when it is taken in the long-term.

The results of the study appear online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In Yorkshire 92-schemes have been undertaken at 17-trusts at a cost of £10.5-million.