Pfizer Begins Public Relations Campaign to Counter Chantix Concerns

Article in the Wall Street Journal -- Pfizer Seeks to Counter Chantix Concerns, by Alicia Mundy and Avery Johnson.  Here's an excerpt:

Pfizer Inc. is preparing an advertising and public-relations campaign to counter concerns about its antismoking drug Chantix, once trumpeted as a potential billion-dollar-a-year blockbuster.

Chantix is drawing scrutiny from federal regulators and a tough congressional critic of the pharmaceutical industry following revelations about potentially dangerous adverse events such as heart irregularities, seizures and more than 100 accidents linked to use of the drug.

An important issue is whether Chantix is effective at dosage levels that are safe for its users. This was a concern for FDA researchers prior to the drug's approval, according to agency records.

BGS