Biochemical and clinical evidence that aspirin-intolerant asthmatic subjects tolerate the cyclooxygenase 2-selective analgetic drug celecoxib.

Background: Subjects with aspirin-intolerant asthma (AIA) respond with bronchoconstriction and extrapulmonary adverse reactions to conventional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that inhibit the cyclooxygenase (COX) step in the biosynthesis of prostaglandins. Recently, 2 isotypes of COX have been identified, and COX-2-selective NSAIDs have been developed for treatment of inflammatory disorders.

Objective: We investigated whether 33 subjects with a typical history of AIA tolerated the new COX-2-selective NSAID celecoxib.