PFIZER PAIN DRUG MAY SLOW OR PREVENT COLON CANCER, STUDY SHOWS

While Merck is fighting thousands of lawsuits filed by former patients who claim its pain drug Vioxx causes heart attack and stroke, a study has found that Celebrex, a pain drug made by Pfizer that belongs to the same class of drugs as Vioxx, may slow or prevent the onset of colon cancer.

The study found that the amount of Celebrex shown to be effective against colon cancer did not create a statistically significant increase in cardiovascular risk, but that more research is needed based on the findings of earlier research.

The FDA issued a public health advisory nearly two years ago, stating that cyclooxygenase (Cox-2) inhibitors, including Vioxx (rofecoxib) and Celebrex (celecoxib), might be associated with an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events. Merck pulled Vioxx from the market that year.

According to their study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a team of researchers found that a single 400-mg daily dose of Celebrex significantly reduced the reappearance of adenomas, or pre-malignant colon tumors, within three years after the tumors were removed.

More than 1,550 participants at 107 sites in 32 countries on six continents participated in the study.

Celecoxib inhibits the Cox-2 protein, excessive amounts of which are associated with adenomas and colon cancer.