Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease in which the body's immune system attacks the joints of the body, ultimately destroying them and rendering them immobile. The disease affects approximately one percent of the world's population, and occurs more often in men than in women.

Benefits of rofecoxib in Dental Surgery Pain
The powerful pain relief of rofecoxib also was proven in two randomized studies of patients developing moderate to severe pain after having undergone dental surgery to remove more than two molars impacted in the bone. A total of 390 patients were randomized in one study to either rofecoxib at the recommended starting dose for acute pain, a combination of codeine and paracetamol using maximum doses of these medications, or placebo, while 393 patients were enrolled in a second study with randomization to the same treatment groups.

In the studies, significantly more patients treated with rofecoxib had total pain relief (p<0.001 for both studies) and reported good to excellent responses to treatment (p<0.001 for both studies), than those receiving the combination of codeine/paracetamol. Importantly, though there was similar time to onset of initial pain relief between the two groups, significantly fewer patients treated with rofecoxib required additional pain relief medication within 24 hours compared to those receiving the combination treatment (p<0.001 for both studies). Both rofecoxib and the codeine/paracetamol combination were superior to placebo.

In addition to providing consistently superior efficacy, treatment with rofecoxib led to a lower incidence of adverse experiences, compared to the codeine/paracetamol combination. Patients receiving codeine/paracetamol had a substantially higher incidence of vomiting (p<0.001) and nausea (p<0.001).

Dental surgery - such as extraction of more than two molars - can produce tissue trauma resulting in acute pain and inflammation. The degree of dental pain may depend on the type of procedure being performed, as well as the patient's own assessment - generally the most accurate and reliable indicator. Even when procedures are performed with great skill and care, most patients experience pain and inflammation after dental anesthesia wears off. Dental surgery pain is a commonly used model to assess patient response to pain medication.

About Rofecoxib and MSD
Rofecoxib has been approved by regulatory agencies in more than 60 countries for treating the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis, pain and inflammation, based on efficacy and safety studies involving nearly 4,000 patients during the clinical development of this important new therapy. To date, more than 33 million prescriptions have been written for rofecoxib in the United States alone.

Common side effects reported in osteoarthritis clinical trials with rofecoxib included upper-respiratory infection, diarrhea, and nausea. People who have had an allergic reaction to rofecoxib, aspirin or NSAIDs should not take rofecoxib. Safety and effectiveness in children below the age of 18 have not been studied.

In the Philippines, rofecoxib has been approved by the Bureau of Food and Drug (BFAD) for the treatment of the acute and chronic signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, the relief of pain, and treatment of menstrual pain. Rofecoxib is a prescription medicine. Patients are encouraged to always consult their doctor.