In the aftermath of Vioxx, evidence-based medicine is more important than ever

At the end of this article, there is a nice section on Lodine, which was discussed here several times:

In undertaking its drug review, Veterans Affairs also re-examined the value of a lesser-known pain reliever, etodolac, and began using it more. The drug was first sold in 1991 as Lodine by a company that is now part of GlaxoSmithKline. Like many older medications, however, it was not extensively tested.

A study based on a review of V.A. patient records that was published last month in a medical journal, Gastroenterology, found that the rate of stomach bleeding caused by etodolac was substantially lower than that caused by naproxen and comparable to that of Vioxx.

They’re currently reviewing patient records to see if Lodine has the same cardiovascular drawbacks.