A Toronto newspaper cites documents from Canadian health officials showing the painkiller Celebrex may have led to at least 14 deaths in Canada, and may have contributed to other heart and brain ailments.
The National Post says the documents include more than 100 adverse-reaction reports on Celebrex over the past five years, including five strokes and 19 cases of heart attack, cardiac arrest or heart failure.
Celebrex has been promoted as a safer alternative to Vioxx, the painkiller Merck & Co. pulled from the market in September after determining it led to higher rates of heart attacks and strokes.
Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, maker of Celebrex, has said it plans to conduct a long-term study of the drug to determine if it helps the heart.
Meanwhile, questions remain about the safety of the whole class of drugs, called COX-2 inhibitors, which also includes Pfizer's drug Bextra. According to the Post, Canadians purchased about three million prescriptions for Celebrex in 2003.
