Novartis test results published

Novartis Prexige painkiller caused fewer stomach ulcers than other painkillers in arthritis patients, according to a study funded by Novartis and published in the Lancet journal.

The one-year study of more than 18,000 arthritis sufferers compared Prexige against naproxen or ibuprofen. About 0.25% of Prexige patients had ulcers, about 79% fewer than the 1.1% of those on the other drugs, the Lancet said.