Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) cause damage in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract by impairing the ability of the mucosa to resist and respond to injury. Many of these effects of NSAIDs can be attributed to their ability to suppress mucosal prostaglandin synthesis. Selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 are less likely to disrupt mucosal defence and do not interfere with platelet aggregation. Thus, their use is associated with a reduced incidence of serious GI adverse events; however, a significant risk of such events still persists. At least in animal models, selective COX-2 inhibitors interfere with ulcer healing to the same extent as conventional NSAIDs. In contrast, COX-inhibiting nitric oxide donors (CINODs) produce anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects comparable or superior to those of NSAIDs, but with greatly reduced GI toxicity. Unlike NSAIDs and selective COX-2 inhibitors, CINODs do not interfere with ulcer healing. Moreover, because CINODs suppress the activity of both COX-1 and COX-2, they do not share with selective COX-2 inhibitors the lack of cardioprotection afforded by significant suppression of platelet aggregation. Because of their safety profile, CINODs may be particularly useful for long term prevention applications, such as for colon cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease.