2 class -- Vioxx, which Merck decided on its own to withdraw, Celebrex, made by Pfizer Inc. under the generic name celecoxib, and Pfizer's Bextra or valdecoxib. The drugs are successful because they are designed to be taken long-term by patients with arthritis and other chronic ills. Makers had hoped they would be less likely to cause stomach bleeding and ulcers than older drugs called non steroidal anti-inflammatory agents or NSAIDS. Topol, who reviewed the data given to the advisory committee that recommended approving the drugs, said he and fellow experts had strongly recommended a trial testing whether the drugs may raise heart risks. "Unfortunately, such a trial was never done," Topol wrote. "Meanwhile, Merck was spending more than $100 million per year in direct-to-consumer advertising -- another activity regulated by the FDA and a critical mechanism in building the 'blockbuster' status of a drug with annual sales of more than $1 billion." Vioxx had annual sales of $2.55 billion. --More 2337 Local Time 2037 GMT
