Celebrex Side Effects

10 Things You Must Know about Pain Killers

2005-02-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

When writing about Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra, I don't usually publish an article from another site or publication. Today I'm making an exception. The following article is on the WebMD site. It is so well written and so important that I just had to make it available here. The article is by Michael W. Smith, MD

After three grueling days of meetings, an FDA expert panel released its recommendations last week regarding Vioxx and other so-called Cox-2 inhibitors, such as Celebrex and Bextra. They also had a few things to say about the older anti-inflammatory pain relievers.

In order to help you sift through this confusing and controversial topic, WebMD's doctors put together this list of 10 things you need to know about pain relievers.

—Among the arthritis drugs known as Cox-2 inhibitors, Vioxx has been most strongly linked to heart attacks and strokes.

—Celebrex at the most common dose of 200 mg per day has not been linked to an increase in heart attacks and strokes.

—Of all the Cox-2 inhibitors, the least amount is known about Bextra because fewer studies have been done evaluating its potential risks.

—An FDA warning about Bextra applies only to patients undergoing heart bypass surgery.

—Cox-2 inhibitors don’t treat pain any better than older anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen.

—Most people on Cox-2 inhibitors don’t need them and can use an older anti-inflammatory drug. Cox-2 drugs are meant for people who have had a stomach ulcer or are at high risk of stomach bleeding, such as people on the blood thinner Coumadin.

—Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is not an anti-inflammatory drug and has never been linked to heart attacks and strokes.

—Almost all anti-inflammatory drugs, including the Cox-2 inhibitors and the older drugs, carry some increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

—Although one report linked naproxen (brand names Aleve and Naprosyn) to an increase in heart attacks, experts feel that was unjustified and unnecessarily scared the public. Naproxen may actually be the one anti-inflammatory drug that may lower heart attack risk other than aspirin.

—The FDA expert panel does not have the final say. The official FDA decision is expected to be announced in the next few weeks. The FDA typically follows the suggestions of its expert panels.

By Michael W. Smith, MD, reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

For more great information on all types of health issues see the WebMD site at www.webmd.com/

Celebrex Doesn't Increases Blood Pressure

2005-02-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

The results of an Australian study, published yesterday in the online version of the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that taking Vioxx increases blood pressure and taking Celebrex does not. This study is an analysis of 19 different studies, which included nearly 45,500 patients.

Researchers have long suspected that a rise in blood pressure was one of the reasons for increased heart attack and stroke risk seen among people taking Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra.

However, according to William B. White, MD, chief of the section of hypertension and clinical pharmacology at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, the results indicate, "increased blood pressure risk may not in fact be a problem across the entire group of Cox-2 drugs."

If Celebrex does not cause increased blood pressure then why are some patients taking the drug experiencing serious heart complications? Various studies show that patients taking high doses of Celebrex have a potential increased danger of heart attacks and strokes.

"It can't just be the blood pressure that is the entire story behind heart attacks and strokes," says Eric Topol, MD, a cardiologist and Cox-2 researcher. "There is something about Vioxx that is distinctive and harmful, and we don't understand what it is," adds Topol, who is provost of The Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

A joint FDA advisory committee will convene tomorrow to examin the entire COX-2 painkiller situation. For further information on this meeting see FDA to Probe Celebrex and Bextra
For more information on this study: Vioxx, Not Celebrex, Boosts Blood Pressure

Celebrex Warning on All Labels

2005-02-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

Australian Agency Puts New Restrictions on Celebrex Labels
Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration has ordered Pfizer Inc. to introduce new warning labels on Celebrex.

Professor Martin Tattersall, Chair of the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee, has advised all patients taking high doses of Celebrex to meet with their doctors to discuss the medication. "The risk is something which now has changed the balance in favour of reducing the use of this drug by dose and reducing the duration of drug treatment," he said.

Professor Tattersall says the drug should only be prescribed when alternative therapies are found to cause serious side-effects.

A spokesman says the company strongly disagrees with the decision and may launch an appeal.

Related article: Celebrex Dangers

Major Study Finds Less Risk with Celebrex

2005-02-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

Increases in Heart Risk with Vioxx but not Celebrex

A major study done at Canada's McGill University in Montreal has concluded that patients taking Vioxx were at incresed risk of heart attack and stroke. The study included 113,927 older residents of Quebec and found incidence of heart attacks increased 21 percent among those who took low doses of Vioxx and by 73 percent in those who took high doses.

"This is consistent with what most of the other studies have found," said study author Dr. James A. Brophy, an associate professor of medicine at McGill. "But it included many more cases than other studies, so we were able to have more precision. And other studies have not demonstrated dose-dependency."

Increased Risk Not Found with Celebrex
Another interesting conclusion from this study is that no similar increase in risk was found for Celebrex. Celebrex, like the recalled Vioxx is a member of the cox-2 inhibitor family of drugs.

"The importance of the new study is that it separates Vioxx from other cox-2 inhibitors," said Dr. Todd Schlifstein, an assistant professor of rehabilitation medicine at New York University School of Medicine. He called it "an impressive study because of its vast size and the number of years over which it was done."

Study results appear in the Feb. 1 online edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Related story: FDA to Probe Celebrex, Bextra

Kaiser Permanente Bans Use of Bextra

2005-01-29T11:59:00.000-08:00

Could Celebrex be Next?

The controversial COX-2 drug Bextra has been banned by one of the nation's largest managed care organizations. In a move that is unprecedented, Bextra has become the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to be banned by Kaiser Permanente.

Dr. Sharon Levine, associate executive director of the company's Northern California unit said that Kaiser physicians had already avoided using the drug. But "for safety and quality reasons, we don't want to be involved in dispensing this drug," she said.

Dr. David Campen, Kaiser's medical director of pharmacy services, said yesterday, Kaiser doctors will continue prescribing Celebrex. At low doses, "Celebrex does not appear to have the same risks as Bextra or Vioxx", Dr. Campen said.

"But clearly at the higher dose levels, there does seem to be a problem" with Celebrex, he said.

Both Celebrex and Bextra offer no unique benefits but plenty of possible risks. Clinical trials have found that Celebrex and Bextra cure pain no better than older medicines like ibuprofen and claims that they are safer on the stomach than older medicines have never been proven.

Related story: FDA Probes Celebrex and Bextra Safety

Warfarin and Celebrex Could be Deadly Combination

2005-01-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

Research done at the University of Toronto suggests that elderly patients taking the blood thinning drug Warfarin are at increased risk of upper gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage if they are also taking the painkilling COX-2 drugs Celebrex or Bextra.

On Warfarin and Celebrex or Bextra?

Results of this study were published in the January 25/2005 edition of the JAMA's, Archives of Internal Medicine. The study examined 98,821 elderly patient and concluded that those "taking warfarin concomitantly with selective COX-2 inhibitors have an increased risk of hospitalization for upper GI hemorrhage. The risk appears similar to that of patients simultaneously taking warfarin and nonselective NSAIDs."

For more information: Celebrex Dangers

Related Article: Celebrex and Bextra Dangers

Consumer Group Calls on FDA to Recall Celebrex and Bextra

2005-01-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

According to the consumer group Public Citizen, a petition has been filed with the FDA calling for the COX-2 drugs Celebrex and Bextra to be removed from the market.

A press release issued by Public Citizen states, “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.”

Ban the Sale of Celebrex and Bextra

“The Food and Drug Administration should immediately ban the sale of Celebrex and Bextra, which put millions of people, many of them elderly, at risk of heart attack,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. “These drugs are not only more expensive and more dangerous than older, safer pain relievers, they are no better at protecting the gastrointestinal tract.”

"Public Citizen has a long history of identifying unsafe or ineffective drugs. Vioxx, for example, was the ninth prescription drug to be taken off the market in the past seven years that Public Citizen had previously warned consumers not to use. For four of the drugs – Vioxx, Baycol, Rezulin and Serzone – Public Citizen issued warnings more than two years before their removal from the market. Public Citizen warned patients not to use Celebrex three and half years before the government announced that a study showed increased heart risks."

Complete Press Release:Public Citizen Petitions FDA to Take Celebrex and Bextra Off the Market

Related Story: Celebrex and Vioxx Dangers

Celebrex and Vioxx Overprescribed?

2005-01-24T07:05:00.000-08:00

A study by doctors at Stanford University and the University of Chicago found that Vioxx and Celebrex were taken by millions of people who were not at risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. Aspirin and some other lower-cost painkillers can cause gastrointestinal bleeding and this was the main reason patients were told to switch to the more expensive COX-2 drugs.

The study results show that 73 percent of patients considered at low or very low risk of gastrointestinal problems should not have been considered for the newer drugs.

"We found a rapid, nationwide shift away from older, inexpensive drugs with better established safety and efficacy to newer, costly drugs with no real history," said study author G. Caleb Alexander, a medical ethicist at the University of Chicago.

Vioxx and Celebrex Overprescribed

The study also showed that by 2002, 17.6 million patients at low risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, or 66 percent of those patients, were taking one of the two COX-2 inhibitors.

Also included in the study is the alarming statistic that the drugs were taken by as many as 16 million people suffering from congestive heart failure, or liver or kidney dysfunction. Patients that clearly should not have taken Vioxx or Celebrex and might also have been hurt by these drugs.

The question being asked now is, "Who is a fault here?" The FDA, for not regulating and testing thoroughly enough? Merck and Pfizer, for advertising unsafe products directly to the public? Doctors, who felt that newer was better? Perhaps all of the above . . .

Related article: Vioxx and Celebrex Dangers

More Evidence of Vioxx and Celebrex Dangers

2005-01-17T17:48:00.000-08:00

Two new articles published in this week's issue of the American Heart Association journal, 'Circulation', show more evidence that the COX-2 class of drugs, (Celebrex, Vioxx and Bextra) increase the risk of heart disease.

The first study shows that Pfizer Inc.'s Bextra can triple the risk of heart attack and stroke in certain patients.

Dr. Garret FitzGerald of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues used a statistical approach called meta-analysis to combine the findings of two trials to estimate the risk of heart attack and stroke in people taking Bextra, another COX-2 inhibitor made by Pfizer.

Their analysis, first presented at a Heart Association meeting last November suggests Bextra tripled the combined incidence of heart attack and stroke in heart bypass surgery patients.

NSAIDS work by suppressing two enzymes called COX-1 and COX-2. But they can cause gastrointestinal bleeding, and research had suggested that suppressing COX-1 caused this damage.

So drug companies worked to make drugs that only affect COX-2, the enzyme associated with pain and inflammation.

But in the second study, the researchers studied mice genetically prone to hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis and found that a compound called thromboxane or TxA2, produced by COX-1, accelerates atherosclerosis.

"This is of particular interest, as low-dose aspirin prevents heart attack and stroke by blocking COX-1 formation of TxA2 in blood cells called platelets," FitzGerald said in a statement.

When a COX-2 inhibitor was added, something happened that may help explain why the COX-2 inhibitors raise the risk of a heart attack, said FitzGerald's colleague, Karine Egan.

"Addition of the COX-2 inhibitor caused changes that, if they occurred in humans, would result in a loss of stability of the plaque, making it more likely to rupture and activate clotting, causing heart attack or stroke," she said.

"These results would have disturbing implications for patients at high cardiovascular risk treated with aspirin and a coxib (COX-2 inhibitor)," FitzGerald said.

If Pfizer needs any further reason to recall Celebrex and Bextra perhaps they should read Dr. FitzGerald's conclusions, "The clear emergence of a cardiovascular hazard from COX-2 inhibitors in patients, the weak rationale for a study of their protective properties in the first instance, and now this evidence from mice would indicate to me that a trial in high-risk patients, such as that proposed for Celebrex is, at best, ill advised."

Related story: Celebrex and Vioxx Drug Information

European Medicines Agency to Probe Vioxx and Celebrex

2005-01-16T10:39:00.000-08:00

In a move that parallels that of the FDA, The European Medicines Agency will probe into the safety of the COX-2 drugs Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra. Officials from Pfizer Inc, Merck & Co Inc and Novartis AG will appear before a panel of European drug experts next week, (Novartis has a new COX-2 drug called Prexige which they have not sought approval for due to the Vioxx controversy).

The European drug agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has the power to recommend withdrawal, suspension or extra warnings. The committee is now considering whether to revise its advice to EU countries on use of all COX-2 drugs but will not necessarily make any immediate recommendations after its Jan 17-20 meeting.

"We are calling the companies in to present data and answer questions," Martin Harvey, a spokesman for the London-based agency, said.

Vioxx has been pulled from the market and its maker Merck faces billions of dollars in class action claims. Celebrex and Bextra are still available but their maker, Pfizer Inc. has pulled all advertising. The FDA has announced that they will further investigate the COX-2 drugs February 16, 17 and 18, 2005 in Gaithersburg, Md.

FDA to Probe NSAID's (Celebrex and Bextra)

2005-01-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

The FDA announced Friday that it will hold three days of hearings in February on the benefits and risks of the COX-2 family of drugs. This includes Pfizer Inc.'s Celebrex and Bextra arthritis medications.

Kathleen Quinn, a spokeswoman for the FDA, said regulators would allow the public to comment, either orally, in writing or with data. Public comments would be allowed during the first day of the hearing between 1 and 3 p.m., but time would be limited.

Pfizer (Celebrex and Betra) officials have been asked to make presentations during the three-day hearing and will participate. They say they welcome the opportunity to be heard but haven't determined which officials will be making presentations.

What follows is the press release from the FDA web site:

FDA Announces Dates for Public Meeting on Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a joint public meeting of the agency's Arthritis Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee to be held February 16, 17 and 18, 2005.

The committees will discuss the overall benefit-to-risk considerations (including cardiovascular and gastrointestinal concerns) for COX-2 selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and related medicines.

Members of the public are encouraged to participate in this meeting. Interested persons may present data, information or views, orally or in writing, on issues pending before the committees. Oral presentations from the public will be scheduled between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on February 17. Time allotted for each presentation may be limited. Those desiring to make formal oral presentations should register to speak at the meeting before February 4, 2005. No registration is required for those only planning on attending the meeting.

The three-day meeting will be held at the Hilton Washington DC North, 620 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg, Md. The proceedings will start at 8:00 a.m. each day. Agendas and other background materials will be posted online no later than one business day before the meeting.

For more information regarding this meeting, including contact information for members of the public interested in making presentations or submitting written comments please go to: http://www.fda.gov/oc/advisory/accalendar/2005/cder12532ddd0216171805.html.

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Doctors Not Prescribing Celebrex

2005-01-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

After the recall of Vioxx, sales of competitor, Celebrex climbed sharply as doctors and patients looked for an alternative. However, that Celebrex sales increase was short lived due to the release of test results that showed Celebrex caused heart complications similar to Vioxx. Now many doctors and patients are again seeking an alternative pain killer.

Patients are clearly concerned for their health. On one hand they seek relief from the pain and on the other hand they must be concerned about heart complications that may be caused from taking COX-2 drugs such as Celebrex and Bextra.

"Celebrex Risk Too Great"

Doctors are also concerned about their patients' health and also must be aware of liability risks associated with prescribing these COX-2 class drugs.

Commenting on the Celebrex situation, Dr. Michael Halperin, a surgeon with the Norwich Orthopedic Group said, “I'm not saying Celebrex should never be prescribed, But legally, for me, it's a risk I don't need to take, especially when there are plenty of other medications out there that are equally effective.”

Due to the lack of definitive information from Pfizer Inc. and the FDA many doctors are taking a conservative approach and as a result some analysts are predicting that sales of Celebrex and Bextra will drop by as much as fifty percent.

Related article: Celebrex Side Effects

Vioxx and Celebrex Lawsuits Top Health Stories in 2004

2005-01-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

COX-2 inhibitors, painkillers Vioxx and Celebrex came under fire in 2004. Vioxx was recalled from the market amid claims that its continued use would result in heart complications. Hundreds of Vioxx lawsuits have been filed as a result. Merck, the makers of Vioxx have stated that they will defend against all Vioxx class action lawsuits.

Celebrex, another of the COX-2 type drugs has also (along with Bextra) been identified as causing the same type of heart problems as Vioxx. The makers of Celebrex, Pfizer Inc. has suspended all Celebrex advertising, but has not recalled the product. Pfizer executives site the many years of safe use of Celebrex and insist that using Celebrex is not unsafe. Like Merck (makers of Vioxx) Pfizer executives have stated that they will fight any Celebrex related lawsuits.

2004 has ended with many pain sufferers looking for alternatives to Vioxx and Celebrex. Questions are being asked about the effectiveness of the FDA and it's handling of the Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra situations. Hundreds of Vioxx lawsuits and at this writing, at least two Celebrex class action lawsuits have been filed - but above all else, people want answers.

What will 2005 bring? It's anyones guess, but the Vioxx and Celebrex stories aren't over yet.

For more information: Celebrex Lawsuits

Doctors Need Drug Data

2004-12-30T08:49:00.000-08:00

In an article for the New York Times News Service, writer Barry Meier reports that doctors are having a difficult time assessing pain relievers with the recent Vioxx recall and the problems now associated with Celebrex, Bextra and Aleve.

"We are desperately in need of information," said Dr. Stephen Brenner, an internist in New Haven, Conn.

However, it seeems that for some, the information has been available. The Mayo Clinic, the federal Veterans Affairs Department and the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan all did reviews of available test data and as a result limited the use of Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra. Reviews like this are called evidence-based reviews and are used to determine the real benefits and drawbacks of various drugs.

So, why aren't these reviews made available to all doctors . . .?

For the entire story: Celebrex, Bextra, Vioxx Information

Celebrex Lawsuit filed in Illinois

2004-12-30T08:08:00.000-08:00

An article written by Brian Brueggemann (bbrueggemann@bnd.com)for the Belleville News Democrat, states that the first in what is believed to be a flood of class action lawsuits against Pfizer Inc. has been filed in Illinois.

There is only one plaintiff in the case so far but attorneys are asking the court to certify the case as a class action.

The suit alleges: "Pfizer negligently marketed Celebrex despite the fact that the risk and the effect thereof on the body were so unreasonably high and severe that no reasonable pharmaceutical company, exercising due care, would have done so."

For the entire story: Celebrex Lawsuit Filed
For more information see: German Celebrex Lawsuits and Canadian Celebrex Lawsuits

UAB Halts Celebrex Testing Research

2004-12-30T07:25:00.000-08:00

Officials at the University of Alabama (Birmingham) have stopped all testing related to the drug Celebrex as a result of Celebrex maker Pfizer Inc. announcing it had found an increased risk of heart attacks among people taking large doses of the drug.

The UAB is a major medical research center. Due to the safety questions surrounding Celebrex at this time, researchers have called all Celebrex study participants and told them to stop taking the drug.

For the entire story: Celebrex Risks

Story reported on WPMI News - www.wpmi.com

Cardiologists Call for More COX-2 Testing

2004-12-30T07:03:00.000-08:00

In an article posted Tuesday on the Journal of the American Medical Association's website, Eric Topol, chief cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, states that health risks found in drugs such as Celebrex, Vioxx and Bextra underscore the need for health authorities to test drugs already on the market.

Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex are the only Cox-2 inhibitors authorized by the FDA since the 1990s and "Had coxib trials been conducted five years ago in patients with established cardiovascular disease, when the benefit and risks were indeterminate, clinicians would have quickly learned the risk and potentially avoided a major cardiovascular calamity," wrote Topol.

For the rest of the story: Celebrex Side Effects

Bextra, Vioxx and Celebrex Side Effects at Health Canada

2004-12-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

The following press release has been posted on the Health Canada website regarding safety considerations and side effects of Celebrex, Vioxx, Bextra and Mobicox.

OTTAWA -Health Canada wishes to inform Canadians of safety concerns regarding the group of drugs known as selective COX-2 inhibitor NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories). These include Vioxx (rofecoxib), which has been withdrawn from the market, Celebrex (celecoxib), Bextra (valdecoxib), and Mobicox (meloxicam), which are used in the treatment of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and primary dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain).

Accumulating evidence indicates that the use of selective COX-2 inhibitor NSAIDs, in certain individuals, is associated with an increased risk of heart attack or stroke when compared to placebo. The risk appears to increase with the total daily dose and the length of the treatment. However, given the available data, it is not possible to identify which patients would present a higher risk of heart attack and stroke.

Health Canada has requested additional safety information from the manufacturers of Celebrex®, BextraTM, Mobicox® and generic forms of meloxicam, and will continue to review the safety profile of these drugs in order to fully consider what is presently known about the risks and benefits of these drugs when used according to their labelling.

Until further information from long-term clinical trials becomes available, one should consider that there is a strong possibility of an increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke, when using selective COX-2 inhibitor NSAIDs (Celebrex®, BextraTM, Mobicox®, and all generic forms of meloxicam).

Patients should discuss the benefits and risks of treatment options with their physician, in light of the following information.

Vioxx® (rofecoxib)
Vioxx® was withdrawn on September 30, 2004, based on new safety information from a three-year, randomized double-blind clinical trial, called APPROVe, showing a possible increased risk of cardiovascular events. The APPROVe (Adenomatous Polyp Prevention on VIOXX) clinical trial was designed to assess the effectiveness of 25 mg Vioxx® in preventing the recurrence of colon polyps (abnormal tissue growth, which may or may not be cancerous). In the APPROVe trial, Vioxx® was compared to a placebo (sugar pill). Merck & Co withdrew Vioxx from the worldwide market after the study indicated an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, after 18 months of continuous treatment.

BextraTM (valdecoxib)
On December 10, 2004, Pfizer Inc. released new information about cardiovascular risks associated with BextraTM. In a study conducted by Pfizer, which included over 1,500 patients treated for acute pain after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), an increased risk of cardiovascular events was observed in patients treated with BextraTM compared to placebo. These cardiovascular events included myocardial infarction (heart attack), cerebrovascular accident (stroke), deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the leg), and pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung). The risk of these effects was observed to be greater with the intravenous form of the drug (approximately two percent of patients had such an adverse event), in comparison with the oral form of the drug (approximately 1 percent of patients), immediately following CABG surgery. About 0.5 percent of patients taking the placebo had an adverse cardiovascular event.

Celebrex® (celecoxib)
On December 17, 2004, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the United States announced that it had stopped a three-year Celebrex® study called Adenoma Prevention with Celecoxib (APC) due to an interim analysis showing a statistically significant increase in the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death. Health Canada has withdrawn market authorization for the use of Celebrex® for the prevention of recurrence of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, which is predictive of colorectal cancer. Celebrex® should not be taken for the prevention of recurrence of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis and patients should discuss alternative therapeutic options with their doctors.

US FDA asks Pfizer to Suspend Celebrex Advertising

2004-12-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

The US FDA asked Pfizer, Inc. to voluntarily suspend DTC advertising on Celebrex during the time the Agency is obtaining and evaluating the new and conflicting scientific data on adverse events associated with the drug. FDA also requested the company change the information provided to physicians to reflect the recommendations FDA made encouraging physicians to consider alternative therapies as they evaluate their individual patient needs.

Pfizer agreed to the broad suspension of its Celebrex promotion and to craft appropriate detailing to physicians that reflects the uncertainty of scientific data currently available.

For more Celebrex Information: Celebrex Advertising

This story from www.pharmabiz.com

Celebrex Safety

2004-12-28T16:41:00.000-08:00

The executives at Pfizer's head offices will be breathing a little easier today with the results of a recent Alzheimer's Disease prevention study.

As reported at medicalnewstoday.com, "The National Institutes of Health has reported in an Alzheimer's Disease prevention study that there was no increased cardiovascular risk seen in elderly patients taking Celebrex (400 mg daily) for up to three years. These results are consistent with the large body of Celebrex scientific evidence that has accumulated over 10 years in more than 40,000 patients."

The emergence of well documented studies such as this make launching a successful Celebrex lawsuit very difficult. However, in other news, the same study reported "an increased cardiovascular risk among patients taking Aleve (naproxen), an over-the-counter pain reliever."

For the complete story: Celebrex Safety

Also see: Celebrex Information