A possible link between Celebrex and related drugs and the life-threatening skin reaction Stevens Johnson Syndrome was seen at least a decade ago.

In a 2005 study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Drug Safety, researchers used data collected by the FDA to spot the potential link to SJS.

The FDA helps perform what is called post-market surveillance, collecting information about drugs once they hit the market. The FDA’s post-market surveillance tools include a database called Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS). Here, researchers used data from AERS to estimate the rate of possible Celebrex side effects, including Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Researchers found that in the first two years that Celebrex and related drugs had been on the market, there were 246 reports of Stevens Johnson Syndrome in patients taking drugs in the Celebrex family. Of these reports, 43 were reported by patients taking Celebrex (celecoxib). This was second only to one other drug in the class.

Researchers estimated that Stevens Johnson Syndrome was reported at a rate three times higher than normal among Celebrex patients. When looking at Valdecoxib, a drug related to Celebrex, researchers found an even higher rate, 25 times the background rate of Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Researchers recommended that doctors prescribing Celebrex and related drugs be aware that Stevens Johnson Syndrome is a possible Celebrex side effect.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is an autoimmune reaction. This means that in Stevens Johnson Syndrome, the body’s immune system goes haywire and attacks the body’s own tissue.

In the case of Stevens Johnson Syndrome, the body attacks the skin. SJS symptoms start with generalized, flu-like symptoms, including fever, muscle aches, and chills. But SJS symptoms escalate to a painful rash, then sores, blisters, and ulcers.

The study published in Drug Safety states that the researchers did not distinguish between Stevens Johnson Syndrome and an even more severe form of the disorder called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (“TEN”) is considered a more severe part of the same spectrum that includes Stevens Johnson Syndrome. However, in Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, the SJS rash progresses to the point that patches of skin die and slough off, leaving burn-like wounds all over the body. The mortality rate of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis is a sliding scale based on the severity of the reaction, but as a whole, Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis has a higher mortality rate than some forms of the Ebola virus.

Many questions remain about Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis and Stevens Johnson Syndrome, but it appears that these reactions are nearly always caused by unusual reactions to drugs. The Drug Safety article suggests that Celebrex and related drugs may be among the drugs that can trigger Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

Often, cases of Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis are not recognized right away, since the earliest SJS symptoms resemble many other diseases and reactions.

Additionally, there are few treatments available for Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis beyond supportive therapy, a term meaning “treating the symptoms and keeping the patient alive until the disease runs its course.”