
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 12, 1995                   TAG: 9510120088
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: C-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: GAITHERSBURG, MD.                                LENGTH: Short

ANTI-INFLAMMATION DRUG RISK CITED

The popular arthritis drug Feldene, attacked for causing serious and sometimes fatal stomach problems, is not dangerous enough to ban, scientists told the government Wednesday.

But Food and Drug Administration advisers expressed concern over growing signs that several members of the entire family of medicines called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, may be riskier than patients and their doctors think.

NSAIDs are among the most popular pain and inflammation relievers on the market. They range from the relatively benign ibuprofen to the stronger piroxicam, sold under the brand name Feldene by Pfizer Inc.

The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen filed a petition urging the FDA to ban piroxicam, arguing that it causes more of these problems than other NSAIDs.

FDA figures show that 299 Americans taking piroxicam have died since 1982, including 144 whose deaths were linked to ulcers, perforations or bleeding of the stomach and intestines, said Public Citizen's Dr. Sidney Wolfe.

The question now is whether all potentially dangerous NSAIDs deserve more warnings to doctors and patients, something the FDA panel will decide today.

- Associated Press

by CNB