Announcing the dangers and side effects of over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetominophen, the Food and Drug Administration announced that these medicines would have to carry labels with strict warnings under a new government proposal.

The proposed warnings would include risks of possible liver failure from acetaminophen and gastrointestinal bleeding from other medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen

The Commission on Human Medicines has cautioned doctors that daily high doses of common painkillers could increase the possibility of heart attack and stroke.

People by the millions take drugs called NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) to address conditions like chronic pain and arthritis

European regulators are taking inventory of common pain killers after researchers warned that some of them could increase the risk for a heart attack.

Data from 140,000 patients suggests that some drugs could even double the rate for a heart attack

A review of pain relievers has found that some are safer than others. For instance, a widely-used medicine may carry as much risk of heart disease as Vioxx, an arthritis drug taken off the market two years ago.

Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID has been around for decades and is widely prescribed throughout the world, particularly in Europe. Common doses were found to increase the risk of "cardiovascular events", primarily heart attack or sudden death by as much as 40%

Drug manufacturers, Pozen Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc on Friday announced the FDA will not approve their newly developed migraine headache drug unless they provide new safety information.

Reuters reports the companies said in a combined release, "The agency has requested additional safety information on Trexima, which may require new studies." The agency admitted the drug was effective, but only issued a conditional approval pending the requested safety information