Safety of celecoxib affirmed

NEW YORK – In response to Merck & Co.’s announcement of the worldwide withdrawal of its COX-2 medicine rofecoxib, Pfizer Inc. issued the following statement:

"Over 27 million patients in the United States have been prescribed with celecoxib, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1998. In the Philippines, celecoxib was approved by the Bureau of Food and Drugs in 1999 for the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It has also been approved for acute pain.

"Pfizer is confident in the long-term cardiovascular safety of celecoxib," said Dr. Joe Feczko, Pfizer president for worldwide development.

In a recent FDA-sponsored study of 1.4 million patients, those who received celecoxib demonstrated no increased risk of cardiac event.

"Patients taking COX-2 inhibitors may be confused and should speak with their doctors," Feczko said. "Because of its outstanding long-term safety profile and broad indication base, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and acute pain, celecoxib is an appropriate treatment alternative."

Celecoxib was the first COX-2 inhibitor, a class of medicine designed to relieve pain without the serious gastrointestinal side-effects associated with older non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines.