Two News Reports Make Me Go "Humm?" Posted
by Rob at 04/21/06 03:34 PM
Sometimes you just have to wonder what drug companies and doctors are thinking. Last year, the FDA issued the following alert:
FDA Alert: 4/7/2005:
Celebrex has been associated with an increased risk of serious adverse cardiovascular (CV) events in a long-term placebo controlled trial. Based on the currently available data, FDA has concluded that an increased risk of serious adverse CV events appears to be a class effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (excluding aspirin). FDA has requested that the package insert for all NSAIDs, including Celebrex, be revised to include a boxed warning to highlight the potential increased risk of CV events and the well described risk of serious, and potentially life-threatening, gastrointestinal bleeding. FDA has also requested that the package insert for all NSAIDs be revised to include a contraindication for use in patients immediately post-operative from coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery.
Okay, so Celebrex wasn't withdrawn from the market like Vioxx was. Nevertheless, concerns about COX-2 drugs have been all over the news with Merck, Vioxx' maker, hit with a number of lawsuits alleging serious problems and deaths resulting from taking the drug -- that happens to be in the same therapeutic class as Celebrex.
So this week I was interested to see that Merck had lost another case over Vioxx. From the NY Times today:
A state jury found Merck & Co. liable Friday for the death of a 71-year-old man who had a fatal heart attack within a month of taking its since-withdrawn painkiller Vioxx and ordered the company to pay $32 million. Merck said it would appeal.
And, this week, I see Pfizer announces that sales of Celebrex had increased 19 percent.
Humm.
comments
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Posted by JL Brierton at 01/08/09 10:42 AM
My daughter was nearly killed and blinded by the NSAID "Children's Motrin" which is the generic drug ibuprofen. She is not alone. Many of the other children to whom this has happened are dead. The maker, Johnson & Johnson, knows that this is happening but they are making billions on the drug and do not warn the public. I hope other American's will join me in protesting the callous practice of killing children for money in this great country.
