Pfizer announced that patients who took a high dosage of Celebrex, its top moneymaking painkiller, were in the higher risk bracket for heart attacks. This announcement was made right on the heels of the withdrawal of its one-time big competitor, Vioxx, which was stripped from store shelves in September.
Pfizer admitted that one of two cancer trials revealed an increased cardiovascular risk over placebo, while the other trial revealed no greater cardiovascular risk.
The results of this study prompted one cardiologist to discontinue prescribing Celebrex and all other COX-2 inhibitors.
Celebrex and Vioxx fall into the category of painkillers known as cox-2-inhibitors. These drugs have gained extensive popularity among arthritis sufferers due to their effectiveness in alleviating arthritis pain without side effects such as upset stomach and bleeding.
A spokesperson from Pfizer stated the company had no plans to remove Celebrex from the market. Celebrex also just so happens to be one of the biggest moneymakers for the drug company pulling in $1.9 billion in sales in 2003. Bextra trailed close behind with total sales of $687 million.
When problems with Bextra arose, the FDA took action by placing warning labels on the bottles warning patients of potential heart problems linked to taking the drug in people who had recently undergone heart bypass surgery. In regard to the announcement on Celebrex, the FDA responded by saying they would be studying the new data on Celebrex before taking any necessary actions. Until these actions are determined, they encouraged doctors to offer alternative treatments.
Pfizer, on the other hand, has plans in the works to conduct an extensive trial next year to verify the heart-safety of Celebrex in arthritis patients who recently experienced a heart attack.
USA Today December 17, 2004
Yahoo News December 17, 2004
First, it was Vioxx. Then, it was Bextra. Now that Pfizer is under the microscope, it could be three strikes and cox-2 inhibitors are OUT!
Folks, the market for analgesics is over $10 BILLION annually. That is one big number. Anytime you deal with numbers that large -- especially when the drug companies are involved -- inevitably corruption, greed and negative influences will be a large part of the story.
The most important thing to remember is this: You DO NOT need potentially deadly drugs to help fight rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or most any disease for that matter.
For over a decade I have used an effective revision of Dr. Brown's antibiotic protocol to treat RA. Dr. Brown was a revolutionary pioneer who determined over 50 years ago that mycoplasma caused rheumatoid arthritis. He used antibiotics as an alternative to the dangerous steroid drugs that were developed during his time. He helped over 10,000 patients go into remission during his lifetime.
I first started using his program in 1989 and have helped more than 3,000 patients go into remission with their RA. You can read the testimony of one of these patients now.
However, I have always been concerned that I had to rely on using drugs to treat the problem. Over the years I have found a number of effective treatments that work not only for rheumatoid arthritis, but also for nearly all other autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.
The first improvement over Dr. Brown's protocol involved the use of optimized nutrition. Initially, that involved the restriction of foods we know impair the immune system like sugar and trans fat. Later we added high levels of omega-3 fats like DHA and EPA from cod liver and fish oil. Eventually that was improved to include nutritional typing. Individualizing a person's diet with nutritional typing principles was an absolutely amazing improvement in our results with treating this disease.
However, one of the most potent weapons in our arsenal to reverse the ravages of this disease is an energy psychology tool called the Emotional Freedom Technique. It is very rare where we find someone with a serious autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis where emotional wounding is not an issue. Thankfully, we have such an effective tool like EFT.
While this technique can be learned in a few minutes with my free manual, it is clearly inappropriate to use by oneself to treat serious emotional wounds. It is highly recommended and encouraged that one obtain professional consultations to carefully resolve these problems.
RA is an autoimmune disease and is thought to occur when the body's immune system turns against itself. That is why it is extremely important to take care of your body and make sure you are eating the right foods according to my plan.
The bottom line is that drugs are clearly the inferior alternative for most RA patients as they in no way, shape or form solve the problem.
Folks, if you know anyone with this potentially devastating disease, please plead with him or her to seek a form of treatment that addresses the underlying cause. Failure to do so could condemn them to a lifetime of misery, as much of the damage of RA is irreversible once it has occurred. Once the joints are destroyed there is no way to bring them back.
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Painkillers Increase Risk of Miscarriage
Painkillers Inhibit Bone Healing
Do You Use Aspirin or Tylenol Regularly? Beware as They Are Linked to Kidney Failure
Fighting RA The Natural Way
Warning: Taking Bextra May Harm Your Health
Celebrex Does Not Reduce Risk of Ulcer