tokens: There have been concerns that the risk of cardiovascular thrombotic events may be higher with cyclooxygenase ( COX )- 2 - specific inhibitors than nonselective nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs ). We evaluated cardiovascular event data for valdecoxib , a new COX - 2 - specific inhibitor in approximately 8000 patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis treated with this agent in randomized clinical trials .