arthritis

^NN-MURPHYNA071-MedicalArthritisDrug
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01/04/99 - 16NA

Date: 1/4/99
Story Slug: Medical
Title: Arthritis Drug
Dateline: New York, NY
Format: pkg
Source: NEWSPATH
Reporter: Heather Murphy

Information:
SUGGESTED LEDE: THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION HAS JUST APPROVED A NEW DRUG TO FIGHT THE PAIN OF ARTHRITIS. THE DRUG MAKER SAYS IT DOESN'T HAVE THE UNPLEASANT SIDE EFFECTS OF OTHER ARTHRITIS MEDICINES, NAMELY, BLEEDING ULCERS AND STOMACH PAIN. THE FDA DOESN'T TOTALLY AGREE. BUT HEATHER MURPHY REPORTS FOR SOME PATIENTS, CELEBREX HAD ENDED THEIR SUFFERING.
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SOT/MCFADDEN
0502 IT IS DEBILITATING, IT HURTS (04)

VO (ANNE HANDS)
ANNE MCFADDEN POLLACK HAS BEEN BATTLING ARTHRITIS FOR 20 YEARS.

SOT/ANNE MCFADDEN POLLACK, ARTHRITIS PATIENT
0805 AT ONE POINT I REALLY WOULD HATE TO EVEN SHAKE HANDS WITH ANYONE (05)

ANNE IS ONE OF NEARLY 40 MILLION AMERICANS WHO SUFFER FROM SOME FORM OF ARTHRITIS. IT'S A DISEASE THAT STRIKES MOST AMONG THE ELDERLY - AND THERE IS NO CURE -ONLY DRUGS TO MANAGE THE PAIN AND INFLAMMATION.
BUT THOSE DRUGS - CALLED NSAIDS, WITH NAMES LIKE NAPROSYN -- CREATE THEIR OWN SET OF PROBLEMS, LIKE BLEEDING ULCERS.

SOT/DR. SHELLY KAFKA/RHEUMATOLOGIST
1241 WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOME FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT SIDE EFFECTS. IN MY PRACTICE I HAVE HAD SEVERAL PATIENTS WHO HAVE ACTUALLY HAD G-I BLEEDS, WHO HAVE HAD TO BE ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL, WHO HAVE HAD TO HAVE BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS. (15)

LAST WEEK THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION APPROVED A NEW ARTHRITIS PAINKILLER - CELEBREX -- THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE EASIER ON PATIENT'S STOMACHS.

HEATHER MURPHY O/C BRIDGE
BUT THE F-D-A SAYS THERE'S NO PROOF YET THIS DRUG ACTUALLY DOES PREVENT GASTRO-INTESTINAL SIDE EFECTS, AND UNTIL THERE IS, CELEBREX WILL HAVE TO CARRY THE SAME WARNING LABEL AS ALL THE OTHER ARTHRITIS DRUGS ON THE MARKET.

DR. PETER GOREVIC, A RHEUMATOLOGIST AT THE MOUNT SINAI MEDICAL CENTER, THINKS THE DRUG LOOKS PROMISING BUT THERE ARE STILL SOME UNANSWERED QUESTIONS.

SOT/DR. PETER GOREVIC/RHEUMATOLOGIST, MT. SINAI MEDICAL CENTER
1510 THERES BEEN SOME DISCUSSION STILL AS TO WHAT THE LONG TERM EFFECTS ARE GOING TO BE (06)

BUT FOR PATIENTS WHO HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE BETWEEN STOMACH PAIN AND ARTHRITIS PAIN, ANNE POLLACK SAYS THE CHOICE HAS SUDDENLY BECOME EASY.

SOT, ANNE, I CAN DO MOST ANYTHING I WANT TO DO (03)

HEATHER MURPHY, CBS NEWS, NEW YORK.

Supers:
see script

Music:
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