Painkillers may damage hearts

Scientists at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation have raised a red flag about so-called COX-2 inhibitors, suggesting that these popular painkillers slightly increase a person’s risk of heart attack.

The drugs, such as rofecoxib and celecoxib, are widely prescribed because they seem less likely to trigger ulcers and bleeding in the stomach than are aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.