Pfizer To Stop Advertising Celebrex Pain Reliever
POSTED: 6:42 am EST December 20, 2004
UPDATED: 10:42 am EST December 20, 2004
NEW YORK -- Drug maker Pfizer said it will no longer advertise its best-selling arthritis pain reliever Celebrex to consumers. This, after a study showed high doses of it were associated with an increased heart attack risk.
A company spokeswoman told The New York Times that the move covers television, radio, newspaper and magazine advertising. The FDA said it agrees with Pfizer's decision. The federal agency was considering warning labels for Celebrex or withdrawing the drug from the U.S. market. Pfizer said it plans to keep Celebrex on the market and will continue marketing the drug to doctors. Pfizer said Celebrex has not been shown to be dangerous to arthritis patients when taken in normal doses. The heart attack risk in the study disclosed Friday occurred when patients took the drug at two to four times the usual dose for many months.Celebrex is in the same drug class as Vioxx, which was pulled from the market in September because of safety concerns.The new information about Celebrex, a COX-2 inhibitor, is based on an analysis of two long-term cancer trials with a total of 3,600 participants, the company said. One of the studies found an increased risk of heart attacks in people using Celebrex compared to those using a placebo, while the other study found no increased risk with Celebrex.The National Cancer Institute was conducting the study in question for Pfizer. It halted the trial after finding that patients taking 400 to 800 milligrams of the drug daily were 2.5 times more likely to have major heart problems.Meanwhile, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card says the Food and Drug Administration is doing a "spectacular job" of protecting the public.Card told ABC's "This Week" that the FDA is doing a good job keeping up with new technologies and the new drugs. He said the fact that the public is learning about the risks of some drugs is "a testament to the FDA in how they do their job."But Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts strongly disagrees. The Democrat called the Bush administration's record on protecting Americans from harmful prescription drugs "a catastrophic failure."
Video: More On Celebrex Risks|
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A company spokeswoman told The New York Times that the move covers television, radio, newspaper and magazine advertising. The FDA said it agrees with Pfizer's decision. The federal agency was considering warning labels for Celebrex or withdrawing the drug from the U.S. market. Pfizer said it plans to keep Celebrex on the market and will continue marketing the drug to doctors. Pfizer said Celebrex has not been shown to be dangerous to arthritis patients when taken in normal doses. The heart attack risk in the study disclosed Friday occurred when patients took the drug at two to four times the usual dose for many months.Celebrex is in the same drug class as Vioxx, which was pulled from the market in September because of safety concerns.The new information about Celebrex, a COX-2 inhibitor, is based on an analysis of two long-term cancer trials with a total of 3,600 participants, the company said. One of the studies found an increased risk of heart attacks in people using Celebrex compared to those using a placebo, while the other study found no increased risk with Celebrex.The National Cancer Institute was conducting the study in question for Pfizer. It halted the trial after finding that patients taking 400 to 800 milligrams of the drug daily were 2.5 times more likely to have major heart problems.Meanwhile, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card says the Food and Drug Administration is doing a "spectacular job" of protecting the public.Card told ABC's "This Week" that the FDA is doing a good job keeping up with new technologies and the new drugs. He said the fact that the public is learning about the risks of some drugs is "a testament to the FDA in how they do their job."But Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts strongly disagrees. The Democrat called the Bush administration's record on protecting Americans from harmful prescription drugs "a catastrophic failure."
Previous Stories:
- December 18, 2004: Consumer Group Calls For Celebrex Ban
- December 17, 2004: Expert: Celebrex Still OK For People Without Heart Problems
- December 6, 2004: Study: Celebrex Appears To Be Safer Than Vioxx
- October 7, 2004: Vioxx May Not Be Only Drug With Heart Risk
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