RISK

Major Study Points to Cardiac and Stroke Risks of One of World’s Biggest Drugs

Recommends decreasing use of Diclofenac—sold as Voltaren, Cataflam, Cambia, and Zipsor.

One of the world’s most-used painkillers, diclofenac, sold under a variety of trade names in the U.S. including Voltaren, Cataflam, Cambia, and Zipsor, has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in a major study of more than six million people published Wednesday morning. The Danish study, published in the British Medical Journal, finds that regular use of diclofenac, frequently taken for back pain, incurs an “increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events” compared with use of paracetamol, other painkillers, or none at all. The study authors, based at Aarhus University Hospital, say the findings show it is time to “acknowledge potential health risks of diclofenac and reduce its use.”