Healthy Skepticism Library item: 743

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

Mercola.com
Drug Giant Admits Another Arthritis Painkiller Increases Heart Risks
Mercola.com 2005 Jan 8

Full text:

Pfizer announced that patients who took a high dosage of Celebrex, its top moneymaking painkiller, were in the higher risk bracket for heart attacks. This announcement was made right on the heels of the withdrawal of its one-time big competitor, Vioxx, which was stripped from store shelves in September.

Pfizer admitted that one of two cancer trials revealed an increased cardiovascular risk over placebo, while the other trial revealed no greater cardiovascular risk.

The results of this study prompted one cardiologist to discontinue prescribing Celebrex and all other COX-2 inhibitors.

Celebrex and Vioxx fall into the category of painkillers known as cox-2-inhibitors. These drugs have gained extensive popularity among arthritis sufferers due to their effectiveness in alleviating arthritis pain without side effects such as upset stomach and bleeding.

A spokesperson from Pfizer stated the company had no plans to remove Celebrex from the market. Celebrex also just so happens to be one of the biggest moneymakers for the drug company pulling in $1.9 billion in sales in 2003. Bextra trailed close behind with total sales of $687 million.

When problems with Bextra arose, the FDA took action by placing warning labels on the bottles warning patients of potential heart problems linked to taking the drug in people who had recently undergone heart bypass surgery. In regard to the announcement on Celebrex, the FDA responded by saying they would be studying the new data on Celebrex before taking any necessary actions. Until these actions are determined, they encouraged doctors to offer alternative treatments.

Pfizer, on the other hand, has plans in the works to conduct an extensive trial next year to verify the heart-safety of Celebrex in arthritis patients who recently experienced a heart attack.