Celebrex Will Stay on the Market Acknowledging the Dangers of the Drug
(PRWEB) February 28, 2005
Last week, an unusual three-day investigation wrapped up that was called together to decide what actions to take in regards to the three widely used, as well as heavily marketed COX-2 inhibitors drugs  Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra. The Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted to allow doctors to continue prescribing Celebrex while acknowledging the dangers of the drug. Due to the risks associated to Celebrex and other COX-2 drugs, the panel recommended the drugs carry a Âblack box warning, the strictest FDA issued warning, so patients understand the drugs Âsignificantly increase risk of cardiovascular problems. Learn about the increased chances of heart risk here: http://www.onlinelawyersource.com/celebrex/heart.html
Many doctors and patients hoped the investigation would help clear up the safety concerns surrounding Celebrex and the other COX-2 drugs for months, but now they are forced to assess the dangers and benefits individually. Some doctors have decided not to prescribe Celebrex or any other COX-2 drug to err on the side of caution, and other doctors are keeping current Celebrex users on their drug treatment plan but not writing any new prescriptions.
While some doctors believe some of the studies are convincing, others are not as certain. In addition, many people have been skeptical of how well the FDA has been able to adequately protect patients, and the panelÂs vote was not reassuring enough. Even though Celebrex passed the panelÂs approval easily in a 31-1 vote, many doctors and patients will continue weighing the risks and the rewards of the drugs individually, regardless of the panelÂs recommendations.
On Tuesday in Louisiana, the state health department announced after the FDA advisers voted to keep Celebrex on the market, despite risks of heart problems and strokes, that they were imposing safeguards in response. The stateÂs restriction will go into effect on March 15 and require doctors to supply a diagnosis code for each prescription for both Celebrex and Bextra, telling the pharmacist why the patient needs the medication. If a pharmacist receives a prescription without a code, the patientÂs physician will be contacted in order to verify the Celebrex or Bextra is appropriate.
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