NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are among the most commonly prescribed and widely used arthritis medications. NSAIDs are usually included in the medication regimen at the treatment time of arthritis patient. Researchers' and drug manufacturers' teams are trying to develop some newer, safer, more effective choices, since the begging of using the NSAIDs. A new subset of NSAIDs, known as COX-2 inhibitors was born of this research, in the late 1990s. The older version of NSAIDs affects the activity of both types of COX (cyclooxygenase), known as COX-1 and COX-2. The newer COX-2 inhibitors selectively affect the activity of COX-2. Nowadays are known three different types of NSAIDs: Salicylates (Non-acetylated and acetylated such as aspirin, which was found before more than more than 1000 year), the traditional NSAIDs, and the COX-2 Selective Inhibitors.
