Heart Attack Risk Kills Chantix Profits

In a statement released this week, Pfizer criticized the findings of a study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, maintaining that current safety data involving more than 7,000 people has found no evidence of heart side effects for Chantix. The company suggests that the recent findings could be inaccurate due to the overall low number of heart events found in the study. Researchers mined a number of databases for double-blind, randomized controlled trials involving people who took Chantix and were later found to have suffered a cardiovascular event, including heart attacks. They found that side effects of Chantix may substantially increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems by 72% over smokers who did not take the drug.

When Chantix was first introduced in 2006, the drug maker had high hopes that the medication would become a huge blockbuster. However, concerns about health problems from Chantix have already limited the use of the medication, making it a moderate-sized seller with about $800 million in sales. Concerns about Chantix heart attack risk is likely to further deteriorate the number of users who will choose to turn to the prescription medication over other methods to help them stop smoking. The early signs that promised an effective smoking cessation method have now been dashed, leaving many worry if they might be suffering from Chantix side effects.

The Institute for Safe Medicine Practices first raised concerns about heart attacks with Chantix use about three years ago. The group identified about 224 reports of Chantix heart problems among adverse events reported to the FDA between May 2006 and December 2007, the first 18 months the drug was on the market. This included reports classified as cardiac rhythm disturbances, heart attacks and other cardiac problems. The FDA issued the warning after reviewing data from a clinical trial involving 700 smokers, half of whom were given Chantix instead of a placebo to help them quit smoking. Researchers found that 2% of the users of Chantix suffered a heart attack within a year, twice as many as smokers given a placebo, among the other heart problems. Victims suffering from the adverse effects of Chantix are advised to contact an experienced Chantix lawyer immediately.