A consumer group has recently accused Pfizer Inc. of downplaying safety differences between its Celebrex medicine and other painkillers in a new television advertisement and has asked the US regulators to pull the advertisement. Public Citizen has contended that the 2 1/2-minute long ad emphasizes, regardless of scientific evidence, that the cardiovascular dangers of Celebrex are no greater than those of any of the other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers.
The advertisement also asserts that Celebrex has gastrointestinal advantages over two popular nonprescription painkillers and plays down the risk of bleeding, ulcers and other serious stomach and intestinal problems associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers.
The advocacy group in a written letter has said, ‘The ad violates FDA law and regulations because it contains several false or misleading statements that will lead many viewers to underestimate the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal risks of Celebrex and use it in preference to equally effective, safer alternatives’.
On the other hand Pfizer in reaction has said, ‘We do feel that this ad is a very responsible approach to talking about a medicine, and clearly a medicine that is an important thing for many, many patients to be thinking about and talking to their doctors about’. In the meanwhile, The Food and Drug Administration said that it will review the ad and the complaint before deciding whether to take any action.
