A study of medicines to treat the pain of arthritis has been launched in Scotland. The SCOT Trial, (Standard Care versus Celecoxib Outcome Trial), will compare different types of treatment for arthritis – a series of conditions which affect around nine million people in the UK.
The University of Dundee will lead the trial in partnership with the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen. There is also collaboration with Professor Chris Hawkey, a world opinion leader in the effects of these drugs on the stomach, based at Nottingham University, and Professor Jesper Hallas at the University of Southern Denmark.
Professor Chris Hawkey said: “Traditional NSAID drugs can cause bleeding from the lining of the stomach. Celecoxib is thought to minimise these stomach problems, but we are unclear what treatment is best overall. The record system in Scotland offers a great opportunity to resolve this.”
