Vioxx
Celebrex News
July 27, 2004 - "Vioxx, Celebrex More Expensive Than Useful?"
Americans spend $6 billion a year on the arthritis drugs Vioxx and Celebrex. In the late 1990s, researchers believed Vioxx and Celebrex were able to block just the bad prostaglandins called Cox-2, but leave the good prostaglandins that protect the stomach called Cox-1. Opposed to earlier treatments that were associated to adverse stomach effects like bleeding ulcers, Vioxx and Celebrex showed a breakthrough in pain medication without side effects.
Hundreds of millions of dollars a year are spent on Vioxx and Celebrex advertising, but contrary to initial beliefs, the arthritis painkillers may just be an expensive alternative to medications like ibuprofen. In addition, it was discovered that the Cox-2 inhibitors did not really eliminate the gastrointestinal side effects, just reduced the risk.
When a September 2000 study on 8,000 patients showed Celebrex patients had fewer ulcer complications than over the counter drug users, the results were based on figures from just six months of drug use. A later FDA analysis looking at 12-months worth of data found that the earlier study's advantage had diminished.
In November 2000, the VIGOR study showed 50 milligrams a day of Vioxx reduced the risk of serious stomach problems by 50 percent when compared to prescription strength naproxen (Aleve). This Vioxx dosage is considered to be relatively high, but what surprised researchers was that the Vioxx use created a two to four times higher risk of heart attack. At the start of 2004, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital concluded after comparing high doses of Vioxx to high doses of Celebrex that Vioxx users are linked to a 70 percent increase in heart attack risk in the first 90 days of use.
Studies continue to indicate what was once believed to be advantageous aspects of Vioxx and Celebrex may not exist. Arthritis and drug specialists reviewing published research are now wondering if consumers have been paying six times more for Vioxx and Celebrex over older medications without evidence that the Cox-2 inhibitors are any better at fighting pain. Conflicting studies continue to be presented and consumers, shareholders, and regulators are getting fed up.
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