The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug for treating osteoarthritis.
Pharmacia Corp. makes the drug, Bextra (valdecoxib), while drug giant Pfizer Inc. is helping to promote it. Bextra is a member of a class of anti-inflammatory drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors, which work by blocking an enzyme called cyclooxygenase 2. These drugs are believed to sidestep the stomach-irritating effects of other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin.
Osteoarthritis is a progressive deterioration in the cartilage of certain joints. Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, which is an inherited autoimmune disease, osteoarthritis results from overuse of joints, and can be a byproduct of strenuous sports, obesity or aging.
Pharmacia said the drug would also be indicated for treating rheumatoid arthritis and menstrual pain.
Approval of Bextra, Pharmacia and Pfizer said, was based upon global clinical trials involving more than 5,000 patients. The companies said the trials showed that a 10-milligram tablet of Bextra taken once daily was as effective for treating osteoarthritis as the commonly prescribed doses of other NSAIDs, including ibuprofen and naproxen.
Reuters Washington November 19, 2001
From the makers of Celebrex (Pharmacia/Pfizer) we now have Bextra. I wouldn't trust this company as far as I could throw them.
They have an incredible history of anti-consumerism. Pharmacia Corporation was created in April 2000 through the merger of Pharmacia & Upjohn with Monsanto Company and its G.D. Searle unit. Pharmacia employs 59,000 people worldwide and has research, manufacturing and administrative sales operations in more than 60 countries.
So Pharmacia owns Monsanto. And what does Monsanto do or make?
Monsanto has a huge history of suppressing information.
They did it for Celebrex and created a major controversy earlier this year when JAMA published an article that strongly promoted Celebrex and helped push it to one of the most popular drugs in the world.
The only problem is that the JAMA article was based on a pack of lies.
I may prescribe the drug in the future, but I would not for one minute believe one word of what Pharmacia says about it. They have a large history of deceptive practices and I would not be surprised in the least if in a few years we find out the truth behind this drug.
The market for analgesics is about TEN BILLION dollars per year. That is one big number. That is why this is an important drug to watch. It is important to remember that anytime you are dealing with numbers that large there will inevitably be corruption, greed and negative influences that are a part of the story if drugs are involved.
So ALWAYS be alert to deception. As one of my friends, Dr. Tom Stone, is fond of saying "The PLANET is RULED by GREED and DECEIT!"
Dr. Jay Cohen, an associate professor of Family and Preventative Medicine and of Psychiatry at the University of California in San Diego and author of Over Dose also writes: "In addition, for arthritis, Bextra is 1-size-fits-all, which means young and old, big and small, sick and well, or people on no drugs or on 6 drugs, will all get the same dosage -- 10 mg. "This is downright stupid and against all medical science. But it makes it easy for doctors so they can move on to the next patient much quicker. That's why these types of drugs sell well. I has nothing to do with sound science or the welfare of patients."
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