Consumer Group Calls Commercial for Arthritis Drug Misleading

By Ashley Van Leuven

Published on April 11, 2007

Pfizer, the company that manufactures Celebrex, recently released a new two and a half minute ad promoting the drug. The commercial is the first Celebrex ad the company has put out in more than two years. Pfizer stopped marketing Celebrex to consumers in 2004 in response to a request by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA issued the request after Vioxx – an arthritis medication belonging to the same class of drugs as Celebrex – was linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

The consumer group Public Citizen says that although Pfizer's commercial mentions the side effects of Celebrex, the ad downplays the risks and portrays the drug as being as safe as over-the-counter alternatives. The group has asked the FDA to take the commercial off the air.

In 2004, a study linking Celebrex to serious cardiovascular problems, including heart attack and stroke, prompted the FDA to issue a public health advisory recommending that Celebrex use be restricted to individuals who can’t take other pain medications.

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