PTGS2 and Arthritis: Traditional NSAIDs and selective COX-2 inhibitors like rofecoxib and etoricoxib have been shown to increase BP in clinical studies [27,28] and in the recent Multinational Etoricoxib and Diclofenac Arthritis Long-Term (MEDAL) study, discontinuations due to hypertension were observed more frequently with etoricoxib compared with diclofenac [29].