Celecoxib
Brand names: Elyxyb, Celebrex, Celecoxib
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 4,945,257
- Medicare drug cost
- $143.1M
- Average cost per prescription
- $28.93
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 121,552
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
CELEBREX is indicated CELEBREX is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug indicated for: • Osteoarthritis (OA) • Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) • Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) in patients 2 years and older • Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) • Acute Pain (AP) • Primary Dysmenorrhea (PD) 1.1 Osteoarthritis (OA) For the management of the signs and symptoms of OA. 1.2 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) For the management of the signs and symptoms of RA. 1.3 Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) For the management of the signs and symptoms of JRA in patients 2 years and older. 1.4 Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) For the management of the signs and symptoms of AS. 1.5 Acute Pain For the management of acute pain in adults. 1.6 Primary Dysmenorrhea For the management of primary dysmenorrhea.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated November 2024). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: RISK OF SERIOUS CARDIOVASCULAR AND GASTROINTESTINAL EVENTS Cardiovascular Thrombotic Events • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) cause an increased risk of serious cardiovascular thrombotic events, including myocardial infarction, and stroke, which can be fatal. This risk may occur early in the treatment and may increase with duration of use. • CELEBREX is contraindicated in the setting of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Gastrointestinal Bleeding, Ulceration, and Perforation • NSAIDs cause an increased risk of serious gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events including bleeding, ulceration, and perforation of the stomach or intestines, which can be fatal. These events can occur at any time during use and without warning symptoms. Elderly patients and patients with a prior history of peptic ulcer disease and/or GI bleeding are at greater risk for serious GI…
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Family Medicine 26.9%
- Internal Medicine 20.1%
- Nurse Practitioners 14.6%
- Physician Assistants 11.5%
- Orthopedic Surgery 7.4%
- Rheumatology 4.9%
- Pain Medicine 3.7%
- Sports Medicine 1.5%
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) 1.3%
- Joint Replacement Surgery 1.1%
- General Practice 1.0%
- Geriatric Medicine 0.8%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 57% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Utah +106%
- Nevada +103%
- Idaho +101%
- Florida +97%
- Colorado +96%
- New York (smallest change) +20%
- Hawaii (smallest change) +21%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 4 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Direct_rx
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 200 mg | white capsule, 18 mm | OE 200 |
Nivagen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 50 mg | white capsule, 16 mm | CEL 50MG |
| 100 mg | white capsule, 16 mm | CEL 100MG |
| 200 mg | white capsule, 18 mm | CEL 200MG |
| 400 mg | white capsule, 22 mm | CEL 400MG |
Unichem Pharmaceuticals (USA), Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 50 mg | yellow capsule, 14 mm | U 157 |
| 100 mg | green capsule, 16 mm | U 158 |
| 200 mg | yellow capsule, 18 mm | U 373 |
| 400 mg | white capsule, 21 mm | U 374 |
Viatris Specialty LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 50 mg | white capsule, 18 mm | 7767 50 |
| 100 mg | white capsule, 18 mm | 7767 100 |
| 200 mg | white capsule, 18 mm | 7767 200 |
| 400 mg | white capsule, 22 mm | 7767 400 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $138,398 in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc. $138,398
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
2 recalls since 2020
- May 2025 · Avkare · Class II
Presence of Foreign Tablets/Capsules: manufacturer recalled because one tadalafil 5mg tablet was found in 500 count bottle of Celecoxib 200 mg capsules - May 2025 · Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited · Class II
Presence of Foreign Tablets/Capsules; customer complaint found one Tadalafil 5mg tablet inside a sealed 500-count bottle of Celecoxib 200mg capsule
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.