Originally published February 8 2005
Pfizer admits to having study linking Celebrex use to heart dangers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer acknowledged that it completed a study four years ago linking the painkiller Celebrex to an increase in heart problems. The revelation by the company, which appears to contradict some recent statements, has increased demands for public dissemination of clinical trial results. It's yet more evidence of the evidence cover-up being pursued by Big Pharma. If there's bad news about a drug, it gets buried. If there's good news, it makes the headline news. That's why doctors and patients have such a distorted view about the safety and efficacy of prescription drugs. What we're learning now is that most popular prescription drugs are extremely dangerous and many can actually kill you. Smart consumers are searching for alternatives.
WASHINGTON -- Pfizer Inc. has revealed it completed a study four years ago that links its painkiller Celebrex to a ''statistically significant" increase in heart problems, bolstering demands for speedier dissemination of negative trial results.
The recent disclosure, on an industry-sponsored website, appears to contradict recent statements by the company.
It is the second study known to connect Celebrex to cardiovascular troubles.
''What's a bit disturbing is that this hasn't been published before," said Dr. Bruce Psaty, an epidemiologist and expert on cardiovascular health at the University of Washington in Seattle who has given congressional testimony critical of the drug industry.
In December, the National Cancer Institute halted a Celebrex trial because high doses of the drug were linked to 3.4 times greater risk of cardiovascular problems.
A month later, Pfizer, the world's biggest drug company, posted its 1999 study linking Celebrex to a list of heart risks onto the clinical trials site maintained by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industry's main trade group.
Sid Wolfe, health research group director at Public Citizen, a Washington-based consumer advocacy group, said he stumbled upon the Celebrex study while looking on the PhRMA website for something else.
On Monday, Public Citizen renewed its call for the FDA to immediately ban Celebrex and Pfizer's other controversial painkiller, Bextra.
While the FDA said it will ''review the petition carefully," the nation's largest health maintenance organization -- guided by outside studies -- has acted more decisively.
Kaiser is urging doctors to avoid prescribing high doses of Celebrex ''until information is available to reassure our physicians that the drug is safe," said Dr. David Campen, head of Kaiser's pharmacy operations.
The quiet release of the 1999 Celebrex study comes amid high-profile disclosure of heart problems with such popular painkillers as naproxen, Bextra, Celebrex, and Vioxx.
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