BIG PHARMA'S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
BY
KATHLEEN DEOUL
(VI of XII)

Patients given the newer COX-2 drugs were also given prescriptions for anti-ulcer and heartburn medicines. The real stunner, though, was that the patients taking the newer drugs were actually prescribed the anti-ulcer and heartburn drugs MORE often than those on the older pain relievers - 20% for the new drugs vs. 18% for the old!

Now, understand what's happening here. A bottle containing 50 capsules of a COX-2 inhibitor like Vioxx or Celebrex is going to set you back around $180.00. In contrast, you can buy a bottle of 200 generic ibuprofen tablets for around $13.00, 500 acetaminophen (Tylenol) tablets for around $12.00 or 500 generic aspirin tablets for around $7.00!

The whole rationale for taking the more expensive drug is that you wouldn't have to take a second drug to protect against ulcer or heartburn with the newer medication. Otherwise why would you pay the extra $160.00? As it turns out, that's not true, so all the hype about COX-2 inhibitors is little more than a way for Big Pharma to fatten its profits at the consumer's expense - once again!

Still, the phony assumptions about COX-2 inhibitors only tell half of the story.

The other half comes from another study published in the Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy.