Vioxx has been under scrutiny for possibly hiking the risk of cardiovascular events. The ability of Celebrex to significantly reduce the risk of ulcers also has come into question. What is the true safety profile of these drugs? A new, soon-to-be-published, study by Novartis is among the largest studies to date to analyze the safety profile of COX-2 inhibitors. The Novartis study will compare their experimental COX-2 inhibitor, Prexige, to older NSAIDs ibuprofen and naproxen. The highly anticipated study is expected by some to respond to the safety concerns, but Forbes magazine quotes a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist as saying, "to properly examine the cardiovascular risk issue, researchers need to specifically study arthritis patients who already have coronary heart disease, or are at a very high risk of getting it soon." Will the new study do that?