To compare the magnitude of
celecoxib versus
rofecoxib on the cardiovascular risk. We performed adjusted indirect comparison of
celecoxib versus
rofecoxib for cardiovascular events using two data on The
Adenomatous Polyp Prevention on
Vioxx (APPROVe) trial and
Adenoma Prevention with
Celecoxib (APC) trial. Baseline characteristics of the patients and
placebos were comparable in both trials, in terms of age, sex,
hypertension,
diabetes mellitus, smoking, and
hypercholesterolemia. The overall incidence of cardiovascular events was similar in both groups (
rofecoxib 48/1,287 versus
celecoxib 48/1,356, p = 0.79). The relative risks (RRs) of all
myocardial infarction or
sudden death from cardiac causes were increased in both
rofecoxib and
celecoxib groups [
rofecoxib versus placebo; RR 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-1.69, p = 0.03,
celecoxib versus placebo; RR 1.35, 95% CI 1.14-1.51, p = 0.01]. The RRs for cardiovascular events derived from the adjusted indirect comparisons of the two
coxibs did not significantly differ from unity (
celecoxib versus
rofecoxib; RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.76-1.19, p = 0.67). The adjusted indirect comparison analysis shows that
celecoxib and
rofecoxib may have similarly effect of cardiovascular events when used for 3 years.