High doses of commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could significantly increase the risk of major vascular and coronary events, a study in the Lancet has found. This meta-analysis covered 280 trials of NSAIDs versus placebo, involving 124,513 patients, and 474 trials of one NSAID versus another, involving 229,296 patients. Daily treatment with cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX 2) inhibitors, such as celecoxib and etoricoxib, or high-dose daily regimens of ibuprofen (2,400 mg), diclofenac (150 mg), and naproxen (1,000 mg) were analysed for cardiovascular and gastrointestinal side effects.