March 14, 2001
When the makers of Vioxx and Celebrex submitted new studies to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it was with the hope that the FDA would see fit to remove certain warnings from the labels of these drugs. After all, both studies showed that these drugs were gentler on the stomach than other analgesics on the market.
Unfortunately for the pharmaceutical companies, the FDA noticed something else. Patients taking these two drugs appeared to have an increased risk of heart attacks. As a result, the FDA ordered that new warnings be attached to the drug labels - a warning that the drugs might cause heart problems.
