Fw: Arthritis News: Pfizer Suspends Sales of Bextra

[Guest guest]

From: SmartMedicine@...

Date: 04/07/05 12:58:40

Subject: Arthritis News: Pfizer Suspends Sales of Bextra

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ARTHRITIS: SPECIAL NEWS ALERT

Medicinenet.com

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Pfizer Suspends Sales of Bextra

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced a series of important changes pertaining to the marketing of the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory class of drugs, including COX-2 selective and prescription and non-prescription (over-the-counter (OTC)) non-selective NSAID medications.

After concluding that the overall risk versus benefit profile is unfavorable, FDA has requested Pfizer, Inc. to voluntarily withdraw Bextra (valdecoxib) from the market. Patients currently taking Bextra should contact their physicians to consider alternative treatments.

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-2 Inhibitors, What's Next?

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[Guest guest]

There goes another one. I was really hoping that Bextra would stay on the market. I'm carefully counting the number of pills left. Last time I went off Bextra, things got ugly. So has anyone tried switching COX-2 inhibitors? I'm just wondering if Celebrex is going to be at all effective for me. I have a history of ulcerative colitis and wasn't able to take Celebrex a couple of years ago and Bextra was my drug of choice. I understand that it may not be a good drug for those who have heart/stroke issues, but it seems punitive to take it off the shelves for everyone.

gloria

[Guest guest]

Hi Gloria,

I was on Vioxx for over 2 years before it was pulled last fall. I

tried going without for a few days to see if it really made a

difference (since I'm on so many things it's hard to tell which one

is doing what). After 3 days I could tell definitely that the Vioxx

was helping. I started on 10 mg of Bextra, which quickly went to 20

mg. I can't take Celebrex due to a sulfa allergy. So it's back to

the non-2's, and adding something to help the stomach as well. I

haven't specifically had an ulcer, but was having a lot of stomach

pain with the older NSAIDs.

I asked my Rhuemy about Bextra a few months ago when it started

making the news. He said that he hadn't seen any problems with it,

but obviously they exist for some people. It's so frustrating, just

when I get a stable combo of drugs that works, they pull something

off the market.

Beth

> There goes another one. I was really hoping that Bextra would stay

on the

> market. I'm carefully counting the number of pills left. Last time

I went off

> Bextra, things got ugly. So has anyone tried switching COX-2

inhibitors? I'm

> just wondering if Celebrex is going to be at all effective for me.

I have a

> history of ulcerative colitis and wasn't able to take Celebrex a

couple of years

> ago and Bextra was my drug of choice. I understand that it may

not be a good

> drug for those who have heart/stroke issues, but it seems

punitive to take

> it off the shelves for everyone.

>

> gloria