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CBC News Indepth: Drugs
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Details on reports of adverse reactions connected with COX-2 inhibitors
CBC News Online | December 17, 2004

Health Canada tracks all reported adverse drug reactions in a database called CADRIS, which stands for the Canadian Adverse Drug Reaction Information System.

The CBC has obtained the database through federal access to information laws. It contains data collected between 1965 and April 30, 2004. (For more on the database, go to Faint Warning, a feature outlining Canada's early warning system for drugs on the market.) cbc.ca/news2/adr

CBC News Online ran a series of queries through the database related to COX-2 inhibitors. We were looking for reports of adverse reactions to Celebrex, Vioxx, Bextra and Mobicox. We were looking for:
  • All reports of drug reactions where the drug was suspected.
  • All reports of serious drug reactions where the drug was suspected.
  • The number of deaths associated with the reports of drug reactions where the drug was suspected.
  • The number of deaths that involved cardiovascular/cerebrovascular incidents (heart attack/stroke) where the drug was suspected.
Please note that the figures represent reported adverse drug reactions. It does not mean there is a direct causal link. One must also consider that drugs have been on the market for different lengths of time. As well, one must consider that patients may be on numerous medications and have varying degrees of illness.

For further details on the reported adverse reactions behind the figures below, such as dose duration and other drugs involved, use Canada's Adverse Drug Reaction Database, provided online by CBC. The online version currently contains data to Sept. 30, 2003.

Also note, Health Canada says that "a greater number of reports associated with any one drug should not be interpreted as necessarily indicative of a greater safety risk of one drug over another. A valid comprehensive assessment of drug adverse event reports by Health Canada requires a full scientific analysis."

Disclaimer: This information is intended solely to give you convenient access to this drug information compiled by Health Canada. It should be read subject to Health Canada's Caveats and Limitations (set out below). It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have a medical concern, consult a qualified health professional.


Health Canada's Caveats And Limitations: Please note that there may be reports that have been received but not yet processed and entered into the database. New or additional information may be available at a later date.

The Canadian Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Programme (CADRMP) maintains a database of suspected adverse reactions to marketed therapeutic products reported to the program directly by health care professionals, consumers or through the pharmaceutical manufacturer. The CADRMP database only contains reports of reactions that have occurred in Canada with Canadian marketed products. Any information related to the reporter and patient identifiers is kept confidential as per 19(1) of the Access to Information Act.

The caveat below applies to all information provided by the Marketed Health Products Safety Effectiveness and Information Division. This caveat appears at the bottom of each page of the search request [in the Canadian Adverse Drug Reaction Information System] to assist with interpretation of the data.

CAVEAT: The vast majority of reports on which this summary is based are submitted by health practitioners and to a lesser extent laypersons. Each report represents the suspicion, opinion or observation of the individual reporter. Cause and effect relationships have not been established in the vast majority of reports submitted. The information contained in these reports to the Health Products & Food Branch is raw information and has not been scientifically or otherwise verified as to cause and effect relationship by Health Products & Food Branch scientists. Only a small proportion of suspected adverse reactions are reported to the program, consequently this information must not be used to estimate the incidence of adverse reactions. Reports submitted by Market Authorization Holders are included in this summary.

A serious adverse drug reaction is defined as: A noxious and unintended response to a drug, which occurs at any dose and requires in-patient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, causes congenital malformation, results in persistent or significant disability or incapacity, is life-threatening or results in death. Important medical events that may not be immediately life-threatening or result in death or hospitalization, but may jeopardize the patient or may require intervention to prevent one of the outcomes listed above, may also be considered serious.






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