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Celebrex ads misleading, says the government

January 13, 2005

In December 2004, the Food and Drug Administration asked for an immediate halt to all ads for Celebrex after a study found high doses of Celebrex were associated to an increased risk of heart attack. Pfizer Inc. agreed to stop advertisements for its best-selling drug, but the company said at the time it planned to keep Celebrex on the market and would continue marketing the drug to doctors.

The link between Celebrex and an increased risk of heart attack closely followed the recall of a drug in the same class as Celebrex, Merck & Co.'s Vioxx, for similar cardiovascular problems. The FDA said it is considering warning labels for Celebrex or ordering a withdrawal of the drug from the U.S. market completely.

Both Vioxx and Celebrex were blockbuster drugs, and they were heavily promoted by Merck and Pfizer as being more effective and less irritating to the stomach than some older pain relievers. In a letter sent January 10, 2005, from the government, the letter stated they had found advertisements for Celebrex to be misleading and unsubstantiated, overstating the drug's benefits while minimizing the risks.

The government said the claims represent serious violations of federal law, and the letter details the misleading and unsubstantiated claims in ads for both Celebrex and Pfizer's other related drug Bextra. Pfizer spent more than $70 million advertising Celebrex to U.S. consumers in the first nine months of 2004. Ads appeared on television, in print, on TV infomercials and in direct-mail brochures. While Pfizer widely advertised Celebrex, it has run minimal consumer ads promoting Bextra.

After the Vioxx recall, Pfizer had immediately launched a new marketing campaign defending the safety of Celebrex.

For more information on Celebrex warnings, please contact us to confer with a Celebrex Lawyer and learn your legal rights and options.

 

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