Pfizer to Halt Advertising of Celebrex to Consumers

Cat’s already out of the bag isn’t it? Halting the DTC advertising is kind of like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic – Celebrex is a sinking ship. Others seem to agree:

Still, Pfizer has no plans to stop selling Celebrex, Pfizer chief executive, Henry A. McKinnell, said in an interview on “This Week,” on ABC Television. For many patients, Celebrex works better than other pain medications, Mr. McKinnell said.

The company will work to inform doctors of Celebrex’s potential risks, he said.

“We’re leaving Celebrex on the market because it is an appropriate option for many, many patients,” Mr. McKinnell said.

But George Sard, chairman of Citigate Sard Verbinnen, a crisis communications firm, said Pfizer was making a mistake by trying to keep Celebrex on the market.

“Pfizer will inevitably have to recall Celebrex,” Mr. Sard said, “and I believe they are making a strategic error not doing it immediately. Their current position is untenable – and the price of waiting will be increased legal, financial and reputational costs.”

We’ll see how this shakes out. The FDA will make a ruling in the next few days.