Pfizer To Add New Warning (VERY Disturbing Images)

[Senior]

Pfizer Likely to Add Warning to Bextra
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: November 8, 2004


Filed at 3:36 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- Pfizer Inc. said Friday it's likely that a so-called ``black box'' warning will be added to the label of its pain killer Bextra, which is similar to the recently pulled Vioxx, because it sometimes leads to a serious skin reaction.

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Unfortunately the skin reaction is what's known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome. What I find harsh is that consumer drugs are even allowed on the market that cause these kinds of reactions.

Highly (gross) Graphic Content!!!!!
http://www.sjsupport.org/photo1.shtml

So is any one else glad that Canadian regulators are generally a little more creful than the FDA? Anyone remember BGH?

[decypher]

That's horrible, so much for proper testing. They aren't worried about the people affected, just about their lowering profit margin.

[pbreak]

There's such a lack of information for perscription drugs it's unbelievable... with any perscription that has the possibility of serious side effects, the following info should be given and discussed with the patient:

a) the actual, and all the clinical trial data showing exactly the probability of the drug's effectiveness and the probability of side effects. Believe it or not a company isn't necessarily required to provide their private testing results - thus they can (and have) hidden negative trial results, I believe this is what happened with Vioxx.

b) detail of the side effects so that people can make an informed decision to whether or not they want to take the risk of taking the drug. Sometimes the risks are worth it, most of the time they aren't.

I think one of the biggest problems is lack of information from the doctors themselves, I realize they're innundated and pressured by pharmacy companies... but so many of them are prescribing (and overprescribing) drugs that they really don't know all that much about - for their sake it's got to be hard to keep up with all the info, but that's their job and they shouldn't be shrugging off such important details because they're too busy.

I know a lot of people (pharmacy industry people mostly) whine in Canada about the speed at which we approve new drugs - but it should seem pretty obvious why it takes so long, better safe than sorry I guess.

[sidekick]

where are the disturbing images? :(

[pbreak]

Originally Posted by Sidekick

where are the disturbing images? :(

http://www.sjsupport.org/photo1.shtml

[sidekick]

^those are sufficiently disturbing!

[Electroflux]

Just a reminder folks, that your friendly neigborhood doctor often doesn't even know the chemical names of any drugs he'll give you. Just the brand name and "what it's good for".

Chilling, no?

[Senior]

To me it seems that it's the "long ball" mentaility of the drug companies. They are all for the most part looking to create the next Viagra or Prozac. Quite simply drugs like these that are more of an inhancement versus a life saving drug are far more profitable. With a drug that is for a terminaly ill patient the outcome is either the patient gets better or dies. With something like Prozac they just keep taking the shit. This is also part of the problem with both Vioxx and Bextra, they were being over prescribed and often to the wrong people. If drugs were developed for more specific types of people and properly prescribed than a lot of the side effects could be avoided.

Originally Posted by pbreak

There's such a lack of information for perscription drugs it's unbelievable... with any perscription that has the possibility of serious side effects, the following info should be given and discussed with the patient:

a) the actual, and all the clinical trial data showing exactly the probability of the drug's effectiveness and the probability of side effects. Believe it or not a company isn't necessarily required to provide their private testing results - thus they can (and have) hidden negative trial results, I believe this is what happened with Vioxx.

b) detail of the side effects so that people can make an informed decision to whether or not they want to take the risk of taking the drug. Sometimes the risks are worth it, most of the time they aren't.

I think one of the biggest problems is lack of information from the doctors themselves, I realize they're innundated and pressured by pharmacy companies... but so many of them are prescribing (and overprescribing) drugs that they really don't know all that much about - for their sake it's got to be hard to keep up with all the info, but that's their job and they shouldn't be shrugging off such important details because they're too busy.

I know a lot of people (pharmacy industry people mostly) whine in Canada about the speed at which we approve new drugs - but it should seem pretty obvious why it takes so long, better safe than sorry I guess.

[Electroflux]

The key words being "properly prescribed".

Which won't be easy, becase to know enough to properly give medication to patients, a doctor would have to know a fair amount of information about every drug there was. DECADES ago this was probably feasible. But now? Some doctors have no problems just throwing you tons of sample boxes off a 5 minute visit.

[trance4life]

Originally Posted by Electroflux

Just a reminder folks, that your friendly neigborhood doctor often doesn't even know the chemical names of any drugs he'll give you. Just the brand name and "what it's good for".

Chilling, no?

chemical names are often from greek and latin and unless you study ling or the lang itself, its unlikly you would remember all the roots/afixes

[decypher]

Originally Posted by trance4life

chemical names are often from greek and latin and unless you study ling or the lang itself, its unlikly you would remember all the roots/afixes

If 16 yr olds can remember the chemical names of their favourite drugs, i'd hope that some doctor prescribing me drugs would know the chemical names, its propertys and side effects...

[pbreak]

Originally Posted by decypher

If 16 yr olds can remember the chemical names of their favourite drugs, i'd hope that some doctor prescribing me drugs would know the chemical names, its propertys and side effects...

It's a little much to think that a doctor is going to know absolutely every last detail about any particular drug - they're not chemists or research pharmacists after all, but I think we all agree there is a minimum amount of necessary information that they often don't possess and this is scary - of course as the person taking any of these drugs one must be weary and ask lots of questions and maybe even do your own research before taking them (as if most people would actually do this though)

And of course I agree Nolan, that's mass production for you... there's way more money in keeping people on drugs over lengthy periods of time, and it is these particular drugs that tend to have a much lower benefit to side affect ratio over the long term.