Summary
Celecoxib has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Ankylosing Spondylitis / Axial Spondyloarthropathy would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Ankylosing Spondylitis / Axial Spondyloarthropathy. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Celecoxib to Ankylosing Spondylitis / Axial Spondyloarthropathy: 2 are active or not yet recruiting; 5 have completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT02528201). The largest enrolment is 1000 participants (NCT05960864). Registration activity spans 2002 to 2026. The literature layer holds 7 publications for this pair: 1 Cochrane review, 1 meta-analysis and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2011 to 2024. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Ankylosing Spondylitis ranks 151 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Progressive structural damage (sacroiliac fusion, syndesmophytes) in majority without treatment; spontaneous radiographic remission essentially zero; ~10% achieve clinical remission without anti-inflammatory therapy.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 66.0 (trials 27.0, literature 19.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 0 recruiting, 2 active / not yet recruiting, 5 completed, 1 other |
| Linked publications | 7 (5 clinical trial publications, 1 Cochrane review, 1 meta-analysis) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | Open Targets, ChEMBL |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT02528201 | A Study Of Celecoxib Versus Diclofenac In Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis 2002 | completed | Phase 4 | 330 |
| NCT01934933 | Etanercept and Celecoxib Alone/Combined Treatment in Effectiveness and Safety of Active Ankylosing Spondylitis 2014 | completed | Phase 4 | 150 |
| NCT02758782 | NSAIDs Added to Anti-TNF Therapy Versus Anti-TNF Therapy Alone on Progression of Structural Damage in Ankylosing Spondylitis 2016 | completed | Phase 4 | 156 |
| NCT00648141 | Safety and Efficacy of Celecoxib Versus Diclofenac in the Treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis 2003 | completed | Phase 3 | 458 |
| NCT02456363 | Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy In Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis 2009 | status unknown | Phase 2 | 300 |
| NCT07632599 | Safety and Efficacy of Allogeneic Bone Marrow MSCs in Ankylosing Spondylitis 2026 | not yet recruiting | Phase 1 | 40 |
| NCT01709656 | A Molecule Basic Study of Early Warning for New Pathogenic Risk of Ankylosing Spondylitis 2012 | completed | Not applicable | 120 |
| NCT05960864 | Chinese Spondyloarthritis Inception Cohort (CESPIC) 2024 | not yet recruiting | Not applicable | 1,000 |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Comparison of the effect of treatment with NSAIDs added to anti-TNF therapy versus anti-TNF therapy alone on the progression of structural damage in the spine over 2 years in patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis from the randomised-controlled CONSUL trialProft F, Torgutalp M, Muche B et al. · Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2024 · PMID 38228361
- Clinical trial publication Etanercept/celecoxib on improving MRI inflammation of active ankylosing spondylitis: A multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trialTu L, Zhao M, Wang X et al. · Frontiers in immunology · 2022 · PMID 36091030
- Clinical trial publication Clinical Efficacy of Modified Yanghe Decoction in Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Randomized Controlled TrialWang Y, Xiao X · Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2018 · PMID 29735967
- Clinical trial publication Study protocol: COmparison of the effect of treatment with Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs added to anti-tumour necrosis factor a therapy versus anti-tumour necrosis factor a therapy alone on progression of StrUctural damage in the spine over two years in patients with ankyLosing spondylitis (CONSUL) - an open-label randomized controlled multicenter trialProft F, Muche B, Listing J et al. · BMJ open · 2017 · PMID 28601821
- Clinical trial publication Celecoxib versus diclofenac for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis: 12-week randomized study in Norwegian patientsWalker C, Essex MN, Li C et al. · The Journal of international medical research · 2016 · PMID 26980340
- Meta-analysis Comparative efficacy of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in ankylosing spondylitis: a Bayesian network meta-analysis of clinical trialsWang R, Dasgupta A, Ward MM · Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2016 · PMID 26248636
- Cochrane review Safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including aspirin and paracetamol (acetaminophen) in people receiving methotrexate for inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, other spondyloarthritis)Colebatch AN, Marks JL, Edwards CJ · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2011 · PMID 22071858
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Celecoxib approved for Ankylosing Spondylitis / Axial Spondyloarthropathy?
Celecoxib has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Ankylosing Spondylitis / Axial Spondyloarthropathy would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Ankylosing Spondylitis / Axial Spondyloarthropathy. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Celecoxib in clinical trials for Ankylosing Spondylitis / Axial Spondyloarthropathy?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Celecoxib to Ankylosing Spondylitis / Axial Spondyloarthropathy: 2 are active or not yet recruiting; 5 have completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT02528201). The largest enrolment is 1000 participants (NCT05960864). Registration activity spans 2002 to 2026.
What does the evidence show for Celecoxib in Ankylosing Spondylitis / Axial Spondyloarthropathy?
Celecoxib has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Ankylosing Spondylitis / Axial Spondyloarthropathy. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.