Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Pfizer - Chantix: what's your poison?


Pfizer’s smoking-cessation drug Chantix came in for a bit more trouble today, as a research group cited reports of physical side effects associated with the drug. The FAA, which reviewed the report, barred pilots and air traffic controllers from taking the drug, the WSJ reports.

Pfizer's smoking pill Chantix has been linked to more than 3,000 reports in the U.S. of serious side effects, including suicides, heart trouble and aggression, the study said.

Those findings should prompt the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to implement stricter warnings on the pill, prescribed about 3.5 million times in the U.S. in its two years on the market, according to a report released today by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, which analyzed complications reported to the FDA.

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