Circular from the Ministry of Health regarding the drug "Celebrex"

The Ministry of Health and Community Protection confirmed - in a circular today - the safety and security of the drug "Celebrex" licensed in the country to relieve pain and arthritis, and that it is free of any medical warnings, pointing out that attention should be paid to the attached leaflet and its use with caution in patients with cardiovascular diseases.

The Ministry's Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Policy and Licensing, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Pharmacovigilance in the country, Dr. Amin Hussein Al-Amiri, said that what was circulated through social media about the medicinal class "Celebrex" manufactured by the international company "Pfizer" is incorrect, as the Ministry has not been notified about any recently. A notification in this regard from the US Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Authority and the Australian Drug Authority.

He added that the Ministry of Health and Community Protection received an official letter with this content from the "Pfizer" company, confirming its licensing in the United States, Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Al-Amiri pointed out that such misleading advertisements cause the patient to stop taking medications or adjust medication doses without referring to health care practitioners, which affects the drug system in the UAE, harms the reputation of programs and medicines used in the UAE and the countries of the region, and reduces patient and consumer confidence in the drug system. And the medicines used, which will harm the health of this patient and the health of those who need to use these medicines.

For its part, Pfizer confirmed that Celebrex has been approved by most countries in the world, the most important of which are the US Food and Drug Administration since 1998 and the European Medicines Authority in the year 2000, and the same globally approved bulletin found in the Gulf Cooperation Council states, indicating that it is used by millions of patients. It has been around the world for 17 years and therefore possesses a large amount of information based on scientific evidence, as it has proven its efficiency and effectiveness in treating joint pain and acute pain.

Celebrex, which contains the active ingredient celecoxib, is classified as a COX-2-inhibiting drug, a special group of drugs among the larger group called the NSAID group, as it has been scientifically proven that the NSAID group raises the risk. It should be used with caution in this group of patients.

It should also be avoided by patients who have undergone arterial grafting or bypass surgery, known as “CaPage”, as this warning is not limited to “Celebrex” only, but includes all group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, whether from “COX-2” inhibitors or other drugs such as Ibuprofen and Paracetamol.

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