Pharma Blog Watch

New Arcoxia Data (On The Pharm)
In this post, the blogger writes about recently released data on Merck's investigational osteoporosis drug, Arcoxia (etoricoxib). The study showed Arcoxia had fewer gastrointestinal side effects than diclofenac.

"The billion dollar question remains how Arcoxia affects the heart. One study suggests that it's more friendly than diclofenac, but a better question would be how it fares against placebo. Though if it's 'better' than diclofenac — a drug that's been on the market for years — does that mean it's a shoe-in for FDA approval when the time comes, regardless of how it fares against placebo?"