New Data Prompts Renewed Call For Celebrex Ban
POSTED: 7:33 am EST February 1, 2005
NEW YORK -- A consumer watchdog group is renewing its call that the arthritis drug Celebrex be pulled off the market.
Public Citizen claims drugmaker Pfizer acknowledged that patients given Celebrex in a 1999 study had about four times the risk of heart attack of those taking a placebo. It wants Celebrex and a similar drug, Bextra, to be withdrawn. Pfizer has insisted no definitive conclusions could be drawn from the study. Similar findings surrounding Vioxx prompted manufacturer Merck to stop selling the pain remedy last fall."If a drug offers no unique benefit compared to other drugs for treating the same problem (in this case arthritis and pain) but subjects patients to a unique risk, it must be removed from the market," says Public Citizen's 12-page petition. All three medications are in a class known as Cox-2 inhibitors, which are under study by the Food and Drug Administration.
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Survey: Use A Cox-2 Inhibitor? Public Citizen claims drugmaker Pfizer acknowledged that patients given Celebrex in a 1999 study had about four times the risk of heart attack of those taking a placebo. It wants Celebrex and a similar drug, Bextra, to be withdrawn. Pfizer has insisted no definitive conclusions could be drawn from the study. Similar findings surrounding Vioxx prompted manufacturer Merck to stop selling the pain remedy last fall."If a drug offers no unique benefit compared to other drugs for treating the same problem (in this case arthritis and pain) but subjects patients to a unique risk, it must be removed from the market," says Public Citizen's 12-page petition. All three medications are in a class known as Cox-2 inhibitors, which are under study by the Food and Drug Administration.
Previous Stories:
- January 31, 2005: Kaiser To Stop Dispensing Painkiller Bextra
- December 23, 2004: FDA Launches Review Of Celebrex, Similar Drugs
- December 21, 2004: FDA Officials Urge Aleve Users To Follow Label Directions
- December 20, 2004: Pfizer To Stop Advertising Celebrex Pain Reliever
- December 17, 2004: Expert: Celebrex Still OK For People Without Heart Problems
- December 10, 2004: FDA Strengthens Warnings About Bextra
- October 7, 2004: Vioxx May Not Be Only Drug With Heart Risk
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