Arthritis Pill Outsells Viagra

NEW YORK, Aug 03 (AP) —

It didn't create a national sensation like Viagra, but the new arthritis pill Celebrex has surpassed the impotence medicine as the nation's fastest-selling new drug ever.

Celebrex promises pain relief with fewer stomach problems than other drugs. Unlike Viagra, patients take it every day and it's usually covered by insurance.

Celebrex, which was introduced in January, sold 6.86 million prescriptions during its first six months on the market, compared with about 5.30 million for Viagra during its first six months, according to IMS Health, a research company. Celebrex began to outpace Viagra in weekly prescriptions after just nine weeks, IMS said.

Sales of Celebrex in the first six months added up to about $600 million, said Monsanto, which co-markets the drug with Pfizer. In comparison, Viagra had $552 million in sales its first six months beginning in April 1998. Viagra is also made by Pfizer.

Both Celebrex and Viagra serve huge markets. Arthritis effects about 37 million Americans; impotence affects 30 million men.

But Celebrex has some key advantages.
Many arthritis sufferers need pain relief every day. Men only need to take Viagra when they plan to have sex. Further, Celebrex users also have largely stayed with the drug. Industry experts said thousands of men were inspired by the hype surrounding Viagra, and tried it only as an experiment.

"A significant amount of usage of Viagra was recreational and after a while those users got over the novelty of it," said Jack Lamberton, an analyst with HSBC Securities.

Another big factor is insurance.
Most insurance programs consider Viagra a lifestyle medication, and as a result either don't cover it or severely restrict coverage to a few pills per month. As a treatment for a serious, chronic disease, Celebrex enjoys greater insurance coverage.

Without coverage, patients may balk at paying the $2.42 a day for Celebrex or $8 per Viagra pill, industry analysts said.

Celebrex was the first in a class of new arthritis drugs called cox-2 inhibitors, which target an enzyme called cyclo-oxegenase-2 that causes inflammation. Unlike earlier drugs, cox-2 inhibitors don't act against a second enzyme, cyclo-oxegenase-1, which protects the stomach lining.  Ulcers, stomach bleeding and other gastrointestinal side effects are a  major problem with many painkillers, such as ibuprofen or aspirin, causing an estimated 16,500 deaths a year.

While tests show that cox-2 inhibitors may cause fewer ulcers than other drugs, the Food and Drug Administration still required Monsanto to put the same warning about side effects on Celebrex's label as the older drugs. Monsanto is conducting further tests to confirm that Celebrex is safer.

Ed Sudol, of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y,. has taken medications for his rheumatoid arthritis for 30 years. When he heard about Celebrex, he  immediately asked his doctor for it.

Though Sudol has suffered no stomach problems from the other drugs, he also takes an ulcer medication just in case. Sudol said he can stop taking that medication because he feels more confident he is not hurting his stomach. "It's all about quality of life," he said.

Both Celebrex and Viagra are expected to surpass $1 billion in worldwide sales in 1999 as they are introduced in new countries. But analysts then  expect Celebrex sales to continue climbing to nearly $4 billion in 2002, while Viagra grows more slowly to about $1.5 billion.  Marketers note that despite its rapid launch, Celebrex still has just 20 percent of the market for arthritis drugs. Many people still rely on  generic or over-the-counter medicines.

Does carrying the mantle of the hottest selling new drug really matter in the long run?
"It's great for publicity's sake and the company that introduced it," Lamberton said. "It helps keep the drug in the public eye."