Pfizer Finds Heart Risk With Celebrex (just like Vioxx)

[Tab]

EW YORK - Pfizer Inc. said Friday it has found an increased risk of heart problems with patients taking its painkiller Celebrex, a drug that is in the same class as the Vioxx, which was pulled from the market in September because of safety concerns.

Pfizer said the increased risk was found in one of two long-term cancer prevention trials, while the other trial showed no increased risk.

The National Cancer Institute, which was conducting the study for Pfizer, suspended the use of Celebrex after finding that patients taking 400mg to 800mg of the drug daily were found to have a risk of 2.5 times greater of experiencing heart problems than those who weren't. A separate cancer study found no increased heart risk with patients taking 400mg of Celebrex per day.

Pfizer was conducting the trials as part of an effort to find a new application for the drug.

The news sent the stock of the giant pharmaceutical maker plunging in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange, where its shares were down $5.61, or more than 19 percent, at $23.37.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=1&u=/ap/20041217/ap_on_bi_ge/pfizer_celebrex

What comes around, goes around. Remember when Big Pharma was pushing to get drugs to market and circumvent the lengthy FDA process? Well, stuff like this is going to happen as a result occasionally, imo.

[dewaldd]

1. surprise, surprise

Drugs are suspect. All of them. 2/3 of the FDA docs no longer trust the FDA's ability to ensure safety. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/nation/story/9102B892A62099B786256F6D0014398C?OpenDocument&Headline=Many+in+FDA+question+monitoring+of+drugs&highlight=2%2Cfda

Anyone who is taking a drug chronically is playing with their health.

I am a med student, and the repugs have totally destroyed medicine.

[EFerrari]

4. agree completely

All you have to do is go to opensecrets.org and look at the cabinet's corporate associations. It's disgusting.

I've been working with families who live with mental illness for ten years. We have to monitor multiple psych RXs all the time. It's Roulette.

[WestHoustonDem]

2. That really sucks

I just switched from Vioxx to Celebrex for my fibromyalgia. I'm only taking 100 - 200mg a day. I hope my doctor will let me keep taking it.

[Upfront]

5. Try Aleve

I took Celebrex for three years but stopped after the Vioxx news broke. I am now taking over the counter Aleve and can notice no change. Soon it will break that Aleve is bad. lol Can't win.

[WestHoustonDem]

6. I used to take Aleve

But I have gastrointestinal problems that it aggravates. I can't win either.

[RedEarth]

7. Andrew Weil recommends several natural

remedies for inflammation and pain. Might want to check his web site.
http://www.drweil.com/u/Home/index.html

[napi21]

3. Celebrex was also marketed to Drs almost as much as Vioxx.

I found it very strange that my husband went to our family Dr. about 1 year ago for joint pain. It was diagnosed as arthritis and this Dr. prescribed Celebrex. About 4 or 5 months later, I went to the same Dr. for severe neck pain, which was diagnosed as a disintgrating disk in my spine, and they prescribed CELEBREX!

Both of us only took it for about 1 month, and stopped because it didn't seem to do any better than good old asprin.

It's obvious to me that the Drs. prescribe the newest thing being pushed by the drug salesmen instead of relying on many proven treatments, thus funding the drug companies & pharmacies at a severe cost to the patients!

[fudge stripe cookays]

8. reprehensor was on it for awhile

for arthritis a few years ago, but his joints started puffing up like crazy!

He got off of it, but we've been suspicious ever since. Nice to know our suspicions have been confirmed of problems with it. But I feel bad for the folks it really does help.

FSC

[hatrack]

9. Whoops! Better get Bush to "reassure the markets!"

That, and a little good old fashioned "tort reform" should head potential problems off at the pass.

Can't have companies actually pay for their mistakes, now can we?

[VegasWolf]

15. Limit the law suits to a grand a claimant. n/t

[Reverend_Smitty]

10. This is just terrible news...

there once was a time when people discovered drugs that would benefit society...Salk never received a dime for the Polio vaccine. Now these damn pharmaceutical companies run everything. They sell you unsafe drugs and wost of all they price gouge you for them. The FDA really needs a foot up its ass, unfortunately nothing will be done about it for the next 4 years

[Selteri]

11. True - And Medical Marijuana is 'evil'

though it fixed problems the drugs I had shoved down my throat fail dismally at.

[MGKrebs]

12. No plans to pull from market

"Pfizer Inc. on Friday said its popular Celebrex arthritis drug more than doubled the risk of heart attack in a large cancer-prevention trial"

"A Pfizer spokesman said the company has no plans to pull Celebrex off the market. It is one of the drugmaker's biggest products, with 2003 sales of $1.9 billion."

http://tinyurl.com/4jauv

Kinda puts things in perspective, eh?

[Isere]

13. Don't take any prescription drugs that are advertised!

Avoid any prescription drugs that are advertised on TV, radio or in consumer magazines!

[Love Bug]

14. Best advice I ever got:

"Don't take any drug that hasn't been on the market at least 5 years."

Now, I don't blame anyone who has a chronic condition who really needs the new drug-- it is for them especially the drug companies need to do better testing.