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New prescriptions for Pfizer Inc. pain reliever Celebrex® have fallen by more than half since a government-led study linked the drug to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke two weeks ago.
Celebrex's® share of new prescriptions for arthritis drugs sank to 7.9 percent for the week ending December 24, down from 14.2 percent a week earlier. New prescriptions for Celebrex® fell 56 percent to 70,760, according to Verispan, a market research firm which gathers information from U.S. pharmacies.
This type of drop-off in sales was not unexpected. Celebrex® is a Cox-2 inhibitor, the same class of drugs as Vioxx®, Merck's pain reliever that was withdrawn from the market in September when a study found it doubled patients' risk of heart attacks and strokes. In October of 2004, Pfizer announced two studies showing its other Cox-2 inhibitor Bextra® increased the risk of cardiovascular problems in coronary bypass operation patients. The trio of events has made doctors more cautious about prescribing the class of drugs.
Dr. Fred Pescatore, a Manhattan internist, said he curtailed writing prescriptions for Cox-2 inhibitors after the Vioxx® withdrawal but has completely stopped since Pfizer's announcement stopping the Celebrex® studies. Pescatore goes on to say he will continue to only prescribe Celebrex® or Bextra® if a patient demands them, but there aren't many of those patients, however.
Pfizer spokeswoman Mariann Caprino said the drop in new prescriptions since the announcement isn't surprising given the confusion about the Cox-2 drugs on the market. Caprino said Pfizer is looking forward to an FDA meeting slated for February that will examine the entire class of drugs. The FDA has encouraged doctors to seek alternatives to the Cox-2 inhibitors.
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