Medicine Fueled by Marketing Intensified Trouble for Pain Pills.

Focuses on the development and promotion of pain relievers, the so-called COX-2 inhibitors. Popularity of these prescription drugs with arthritis and rheumatism patients; Risks that have been disclosed by Pfizer and Merck; History of the COX-2 drugs; Why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is finding it difficult to monitor the safety of the drugs after approval for the market; Promotion of Celebrex by Pfizer and Merck's drug Vioxx; Clinical evidence that the COX-2 drugs on the market can increase the likelihood of strokes or heart attacks; Insistence of Pfizer and Merck that their marketing has been accurate and responsible; Overview of studies involving the pain relief drugs; Views of medical experts; Outlook; Suggestion that consumer marketing forces propel the drug industry. INSET: Comparing Two of the Celebrex Studies.