Pfizer Pulling Advertising for Celebrex

ABC News:

Pfizer Inc. says it will immediately pull advertising for its top-selling arthritis pain reliever Celebrex, whose safety was called into question last week after a study found an increased risk of heart attacks in patients taking high dosages of the drug. Pfizer spokesman Andy McCormick said the company was suspending Celebrex ads in newspapers, radio, TV and magazines. He said the company made the decision in discussions with the Food and Drug Administration. McCormick also said Pfizer plans to have its sales staff meet with doctors to explain the findings of the survey, which were made public on Friday. He said Pfizer plans to keep Celebrex on the market.

I know that I am happy about this decision simply because I hate their commercials. Their stupid song tends to get stuck in my head. I all seriousness, I have had several discussions with friends about prescription drug advertising. I tend to lean to a laissez faire attitude about this based upon the idea that people have a right to learn about medicines through a variety of channels. However, the Celebrex commercials in particular were troubling as they simply seemed to be advertising that life was better with Celebrex without giving any information about what the drug was for. It seemed to me to be marketing to hypocondriacs. Obviously this has little to do with the reason Celebrex advertising is being pulled, and an increased risk of heart attack does not automatically make this a 'bad' drug as sometimes the benefits can outweigh the risk. Patients and doctors should of course be informed of this and I see no reason to criticize Pfizer in this regard.