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March 23rd, 2005

"Celebrex safety concerns reaps benefits for alternative painkillers"

After COX-2 painkillers – Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra- came under scrutiny when cardiovascular risks were associated to the drugs some drugmakers saw this as an opportunity to try to capitalize on the events.

Vioxx went off the market in September 2004, and though Celebrex and Bextra remained on the market, the cardiovascular Vioxx events were believed to be a class wide effect. In the week that Vioxx went off the market Boehringer Ingelheim, the maker of pain reliever Mobic, ran consumer ads suggesting patients talk to doctors about alternatives like Mobic.

The company called the consumer ads rare, but it seems to have paid off. Mobic accounted for 4.4 percent of new arthritis painkillers in the week Vioxx was recalled, which increased to eight percent in the week that ended March 11. Mobic’s share of new arthritis prescriptions rose as high as 9.4 percent in February before an FDA scientist, David Graham, told an FDA advisory panel that Mobic might have the same safety risks as COX-2 drugs.

The FDA advisory panel recommended Celebrex and Bextra remain on the market despite the cardiovascular risks. Although the panel believed Celebrex and Bextra benefits outweighed the risks, experts have recommended alternative medications be considered first, including ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin.

All patients will have individual risk factors that must be weighed prior to deciding on any one therapy.