Is Celebrex really safer than Vioxx?
December 7, 2004 03:36

Celebrex safer than Vioxx, a study suggests...

PHILADELPHIA -- New research suggests that top-selling pain reliever Celebrex does not carry the same heart-attack risk as Vioxx, a similar drug pulled from the market in September because of safety concerns, according the Associated Press.

In an interview, Dr. Stephen Kimmel, lead author of the study said, Vioxx and Celebrex look different. Relative to Celebrex, Vioxx had about a threefold greater risk of heart attacks. What that implies is that all Cox-2 inhibitors may not be the same."

Dr. Kimmel's study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. According to the study, the risk of a heart attack with Vioxx is 2.72 times that of Celebrex.

British regulators recommended that physicians restrict the use of the anti-depressant Efexor because its use could have side effects for heart health and pose other risks that require more careful monitoring than its competitors. The drug's manufacturer, Wyeth, said it would challenge the decision, but its shares slipped 3 percent.

The agency is recommending that only specialists prescribe Efexor and that patients should be continually supervised. The drug should also not be prescribed to patients with heart problems, the agency said.

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December 7, 2004 03:45

Vioxx Lawyer - Case Inquiry Form

The maker of Accutane, a controversial acne medication, disregarded a company doctor's recommendation that users of the drug be monitored for signs of depression and that a warning to that effect be added to the drug's U.S. label, allegations in a federal court case show.
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The maker of the acne medication Accutane ignored a company doctor's recommendation that people who take the controversial drug be monitored for signs of depression and that a warning to that effect be added to the drug's U.S. label, USA Today reported Tuesday.

Full Story on What Hoffman-La Roche knew

In recent months, troubling news about several high-profile drugs has sapped confidence in the system for flushing out dangerous medicines and assuring the supply of safe ones. Worries abound over the safety of antidepressants, the recall of Merck & Co.'s blockbuster pain reliever Vioxx, and a winter with rationed flu vaccine...

Here are quotes about the FDA's failures in recent years:Dr. Jerry Avorn, a Harvard Medical School expert who wrote a book on the drug industry, says recent revelations about the FDA suggest "a culture of denial" "The system itself is completely broken," says... (Read Article)