With patents for Lipitor and Norvasc expiring soon, Pfizer is revving up the Celebrex ad machine:

The ads for the Pfizer painkiller Celebrex feature a man holding a boy’s hand as they walk up a stadium staircase. “52 steps won’t keep you from taking him out to the ballgame,” they say.

But a heart attack would.

Each ad includes a boldface warning that begins, “Important Information: Celebrex may increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke that can lead to death.”

AdJab comments:

While Pfizer was holding off on advertising Celebrex sales dropped dramatically. As the article states, that’s a strong lesson in how much the pharmaceutical companies are now reliant on direct-to-consumer advertising. Pfizer obviously thinks restarting DTC ads is important enough to risk the ire of critics and potential backlash that could come from the tactic. The company has not yet made a decision whether or not to expand the renewed campaign to television, where it would likely really start to feel the heat.