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Biotech / Medical : Monsanto Co. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (2156)	6/9/1999 3:13:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 2539

Searle <MTC.N>, Pfizer <PFE.N> attack Vioxx data LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - Monsanto Co <MTC.N> pharmaceutical unit GD Searle & Co and its marketing partner Pfizer Inc <PFE.N> on Wednesday entered a war of words with Merck & Co <MRK.N> over rival painkillers Celebrex and Vioxx. In a statement, Searle and Pfizer said trial claims by Merck that its Vioxx product offered faster and more effective pain relief in patients who had undergone dental surgery were based on "inequivalent" data and had resulted in "erroneous conclusions". "The Merck study compared the lowest recommended dose for Celebrex (200 miligrams per day) with the highest possible dose of Vioxx (50 miligrams per day). Searle and Pfizer believe these data are misleading because the maximum recommended daily dose of Celebrex in the United States is 400 miligrams," the companies said. Vioxx and Celebrex are the first in a new class of pain killer dubbed "super aspirins" which work by suppressing an enzyme, Cox-2, that causes inflammation. Celebrex was launched in the U.S. in January for pain linked to arthritis, and Vioxx in late May. Vioxx was approved in Britain on Tuesday. In the first head-to-head trial, published at a conference in Scotland, Merck said Vioxx had faster onset of action than Celebrex, "significantly better" peak efficacy and lasted for 24 hours compared with five. "A more appropriately designed comparison trial requires the use of equivalent effective doses of both agents," Searle Co-President and Monsanto Chief Scientist Philip Needleman said. "The reported Merck trial did not meet that scientific criterion," he added. Searle said NDC sales data to be published later on Wednesday would show a stronger performance by Celebrex than IMS Health figures. IMS Health said on Tuesday that U.S. doctors had written 4,797 prescriptions for Vioxx in the first ten days following its launch compared to 3,231 for Celebrex in the equivalent period.