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Vioxx, Celebrex overprescribed?

By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
1/26/2005 - Millions of Americans who were prescribed Vioxx or Celebrex in the drugs' first few years on the market could have safely taken older, cheaper painkillers such as ibuprofen, a new study says. Concerns have been raised about COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex. The drugs' main selling point was that, theoretically at least, they were less likely to cause bleeding and other serious stomach complications than older nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs.

But patients at low risk for such problems accounted for two-thirds of the growth in Vioxx and Celebrex use from 1999 — when the drugs came on the market — to 2002, researchers report today in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Recently raised concerns about the effects of Vioxx, Celebrex and other so-called COX-2 inhibitors on the cardiovascular system magnify the problem of prescribing such drugs to patients at low risk for stomach problems, says co-author Randall Stafford, a Stanford University internist.

Stafford and his co-authors analyzed data from government surveys about outpatient visits to doctors and hospitals. In 1999, Vioxx and Celebrex prescriptions represented only about a third of all those written for NSAIDs at outpatient visits, the researchers found. The older NSAIDs accounted for the rest. By 2001, though, the situation had practically reversed. Nearly two-thirds of NSAID prescriptions were for Vioxx or Celebrex, and little more than one-third were for the older NSAIDs.

That might have happened in part because doctors and patients tend to equate "newer" with "better," Stafford says. "There's an assumption that newly approved drugs somehow have proven themselves to be better than what's already available." In reality, Stafford points out, they have been proved only to be better than a placebo. Stafford and his co-authors add that marketing efforts also contributed to Vioxx's and Celebrex's blockbuster status. In 2000, they note, Merck spent $161 million on direct-to-consumer ads for Vioxx, more than that spent on any other drug that year.

Merck, which makes Vioxx, pulled it from the market Sept. 30 after a company-sponsored study found more heart attacks and strokes in patients who took the drug than in those given a placebo. When Vioxx was withdrawn, 2 million in the USA were taking it, the Food and Drug Administration says.

Since then, studies comparing Celebrex and Bextra, a newer COX-2 inhibitor, to a placebo have shown that they also could increase heart attack and stroke risk, especially if taken for long periods or by people at high risk for such problems. They remain on the market, although Pfizer, maker of both, has stopped direct-to-consumer marketing of Celebrex. An FDA advisory panel will meet next month to discuss the safety of COX-2 inhibitors.

Subconscious Mind Said to Produce Safer, More Effective Pain Relief Than Drugs

At a time when the safety of pain medications such as Vioxx, Celebrex, and Aleve are being publicly questioned, millions of people have nowhere to turn for relief. Or do they? A new technique is allowing at least some pain sufferers to give themselves a safe and possibly effective alternative from a new source – their own subconscious mind.

(PRWEB) January 14, 2005 -- At a time when the safety of pain medications such as Vioxx, Celebrex, and Aleve are being publicly questioned, millions of people have nowhere to turn for relief. Or do they?

“If you’re concerned about the safety of your pain medication, or if it doesn’t work, why not invite your subconscious to try to give you some relief?” asks Ben Plumb, CEO of The Visualization Group, Inc., a new self-help service that shows chronic pain suffers how to use tools called visualization statements to try to ease their pain.

According to Plumb, visualization statements represent the specific language that your subconscious wants you to read to it to help it reduce your pain. You can obtain this language by working at home, over the telephone, with one of the company’s facilitators. The process takes about an hour and involves using a homemade pendulum device to obtain Yes and No answers from the subconscious about your pain.

“I sustained a significant injury to my back four years ago, and have been virtually pain-free now for months,” says Rosanne Haines, 49, a human resources manager who began using visualization statements in June, 2004.

The method not only seems to work well for back pain and pain in the neck and other extremities, but also for fibromyalgia pain. “I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1990, and am so thankful to have the relief I have so far attained,” says Jean Rose, 61, a licensed mental health counselor who began the program seven months ago. Visualization statements may also work for some forms of arthritis pain and neuropathic pain (nerve pain).

Himself a ten-year victim of chronic hip pain that no drug or doctor could resolve, Plumb, a Harvard MBA and former executive in the healthcare industry, turned in desperation to his subconscious in the summer of 2003. After working for months to learn how to communicate with it, he developed a simple technique that almost anyone can use to discover what visualization statements may help ease their pain.

About The Visualization Group
The service of The Visualization Group is maintained and delivered by people who have personally suffered from years of chronic pain and have used visualization statements to obtain significant relief when nothing else worked. All facilitators are either Professional (licensed) or Regular (non-licensed) members of the American Counseling Association and are bound by its Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. The company does not provide medical or healthcare advice and does not have medical professionals on staff. The visualization method described in this news release is Patent Pending.

Contact Information:

Ben Plumb, CEO
352-376-7095
http://www.thevisualizationgroup.com

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