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STUDIES SHOW ANTICANCER FUNCTION OF CELEBREX

April 3, 2006

Two long-term clinical trials presented recently at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting showed that Pfizer's COX-2 inhibitor, Celebrex (celecoxib), helps stop the growth of pre-cancerous polyps (adenomas) that can lead to colon cancer. The trials -- the Adenoma Prevention with Celecoxib (APC) trial, co-sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and Pfizer, and the Prevention of Sporadic Adenomatous Polyps (PreSAP) trial, sponsored by Pfizer -- found that sustained, higher doses of Celebrex for almost three years lessened the growth of pre-cancerous polyps (adenomas) with the greatest benefit for those at highest risk of polyp recurrence.

"Both trials showed the largest benefit in people who had the most advanced polyps -- which have a higher risk of developing into cancer," said Joseph Feczko, chief medical officer at Pfizer. "Colorectal cancer takes years to develop and frequently starts with an adenomatous polyp that transforms over many years into cancer. These trials reflect the growing focus on the use of pharmaceutical medicines in cancer prevention."