Celebrex Linked To Increased Risks of Heart Attacks and Strokes in Some Patients

Pfizer, Inc.'s pain medication drug, Celebrex, has been linked to increased risks of heart attacks and strokes in high risk patients according to research published by the American Heart Association in their online journal, Circulation. Celebrex, known as a COX-2 inhibitor, is the only such product still on the market after Merck and Company pulled Vioxx from the market in 2004 and Pfizer pulled Bextra from the market in 2005 over similar concerns.

The study

The study included six clinical trials that consisted of nearly 8,000 patients who received either 200 milligrams of Celebrex twice a day or 400 milligrams of Celebrex once a day or verses a placebo. The trials concluded that that an increase of heart attacks and/or strokes was double the rate for those who were given the 200 milligram dose and triple for those given the 400 milligram dose.

Celebrex

Celebrex is prescribed to one million patients every month, according to Pfizer's Celebrex website, www.celebrex.com. The site also provides the following information:

• What is Celebrex? Celebrex is an NSAID that relieves arthritis pain, stiffness, and inflammation. NSAIDs, or NonSteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, are a type of medicine. NSAIDs are widely used to help treat arthritis.
• What are the risks associated with Celebrex? Celebrex may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. This chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors for it, such as high blood pressure, or when NSAIDs are taken for long periods. These medicines also increase the chance of serious skin reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. With any of these medicines, patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. People with aspirin-sensitive asthma or allergic reactions due to aspirin or other arthritis medicines or certain drugs called sulfonamides should not take Celebrex.

Additional consumer information

Consumers can view additional information about Celebrex from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) website at: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/celebrex/celebrex-ptsk.htm.