A local research group has disclosed the results of animal tests that say the arthritis medication COX-2 may prevent gastric cancer.

The team, led by Nam Gi-taek at the National Institute of Toxicological Research, said the COX-2 inhibitors suppressed the development of stomach cancer in its initial stage, according to a 38-week-long lab experiment conducted on rats infected with Helicobacter pylori.

The test results showed that less than thirty percent of the rats that received the COX-2 inhibitors developed gastric cancer, while seventy percent of the other group that did not take the medication contracted cancer.

The research team explained that the COX-2 inhibitors suppressed the growth of cancer cells as well as caused them to destroy themselves.