Thursday, June 16, 2011

Pfizer's Chantix may raise heart risk: FDA - MarketWatch

Pfizer Inc.'s smoking cessation aid Chantix may increase the risk of heart attack in patients with cardiovascular disease, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday in a safety announcement. In a 700-patient study, half were given Chantix and half were given a placebo, the FDA said. While 47% of the Chantix group went without smoking for four weeks compared with 14% in the placebo group, 2% of the Chantix group had a non-fatal heart attack compared with 0.9% in the placebo group. "Cardiovascular adverse events were infrequent overall, however, certain events, including heart attack, were reported more frequently in patients treated with Chantix than in patients treated with placebo," the FDA said.

Posted via email from Jack's posterous

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