COX-2 woes boost demand for AstraZeneca's Nexium

Its US rivals' pain is proving to be AstraZeneca's gain -- at least in the short term. The withdrawal of Merck & Co's Vioxx last September has lifted demand for AstraZeneca's Nexium heartburn and ulcer treatment, and the suspension of Pfizer's Bextra may give a further boost, industry analysts said on Friday.

As a result, the Anglo-Swedish group is likely to report stronger-than-expected sales of its top-selling product and the world's fourth-best-selling medicine when it unveils first-quarter earnings on April 28. An AstraZeneca spokesman declined to comment ahead of the figures.

'Remove Celebrex too

A prominent consumer advocate and an outspoken FDA scientist have welcomed the suspension of Pfizer's painkiller Bextra, but said some or all doses of its related drug, Celebrex, also should be suspended from the market.

Public Citizen's Health Research Group Director Dr Sidney Wolfe said, while he welcomed Bextra's suspension, the heart risks for Celebrex also warranted its removal. "The black box warning will lead people to think Celebrex is no more dangerous" than other pain drugs, including naproxen, Wolfe said. "The FDA is ultimately doing more harm than good."

FDA veteran scientist David Graham, who called for the removal of Bextra along with four other drugs last year, said he was disappointed that the FDA did not ban high doses of Celebrex. Graham added the agency "took far too long" to act. "Given that [Bextra] offered no unique advantages, why was it allowed to stay on the market as long as it was?" he said.

Pfizer has vigorously defended the safety of Celebrex in the past, and said on Thursday that it would work with the FDA on the new label.

The decision to pull Bextra comes seven weeks after a panel of outside experts narrowly recommended the three drugs were safe enough to be sold in the United States. Agency officials usually, but not always follow the advice of their advisers. Some agency observers said it was not clear whether the FDA's decision on Thursday signalled a tough new stance on drug safety.

Pfizer in position to weather storm

Pfizer suffered a blow on Thursday after it suspended sales of Bextra and agreed to a strong warning label on another, but analysts believe the drugmaker is better positioned to take the hit than most.

Bextra had sales of US$1.3 billion in 2004, while Celebrex had sales of $3.3 billion. Sales of both drugs had been expected to fall dramatically even before Thursday's announcement, because of concerns hanging for months over the safety of drugs of their class.