Tylenol and COX-2 inhibitors
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Two McNeil TV ads that broke March 7 in the "Tylenol House Call" series discuss the new prescription arthritis pain reliever celecoxib (Searle/Pfizer's Celebrex) ("The Tan Sheet" Jan. 11, p. 8). The ads urge consumers with "common arthritis" to "talk to your doctor. For most people with common arthritis pain, the first choice of arthritis experts is the medicine in Tylenol," one ad states. Furthermore, the ad notes: "This new COX-2 prescription has not been shown to relieve arthritis pain better than Tylenol. And no other type of pain reliever, prescription or over-the-counter, is gentler on your stomach than Tylenol." The second ad urges consumers curious about the COX-2 to ask their doctors "how does it compare to other products?" to "ask your doctor about its safety profile" and to "finally, check the cost." A month's worth of Celebrex can cost "almost $100 a month," the ad states