Pfizer reveals Celebrex success

Pfizer has announced that two long-term trials involving its drug Celebrex have yielded positive results relating to the prevention of colon cancer.

The Adenoma Prevention with Celecoxib (APC) trial and the Prevention of Sporadic Adenomatous Polyps (PreSAP) trial, both involving Pfizer sponsorship, demonstrated that Celebrex could help stop the growth of pre-cancerous polyps (adenomas).

“Importantly, both trials showed the largest benefit in people who had the most advanced polyps ? which have a higher risk of developing into cancer,” said Dr Joseph Feczko, chief medical officer at Pfizer.

“Colorectal cancer takes years to develop and frequently starts with an adenomatous polyp that transforms over many years into cancer. These trials reflect the growing focus on the use of pharmaceutical medicines in cancer prevention.”

The PreSAP trial found that 34 out of 100 patients treated with Celebrex developed pre-cancerous polyps during the three-year study, whereas 49 out of 100 in the placebo group developed adenomas.

In the APC study, of the 100 people receiving 200 mg of Celebrex twice daily, 42 developed pre-cancerous polyps, a number that dropped to 37 for those receiving the 400 mg twice-daily dose. In the placebo group, 61 out of 100 developed adenomas.

Celebrex is a COX-2 inhibitor, the family of drugs that also contains the controversial MSD drug Vioxx.

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