Pfizer launches campaign to alleviate Chantix concerns

NEW YORK With sales of the anti-smoking drug Chantix falling by one-third, Pfizer has begun a campaign to ameliorate concerns about the drug’s safety.

The campaign includes ads in five of the country’s largest newspapers printed on Thursday. The full-page ads seek to reassure readers of Pfizer’s commitment to safety and furthering its knowledge of Chantix, while detailing Chantix’s potential side effects and urging readers to quit smoking.

“We believe that the benefits of Chantix outweigh the risks, and that safety information about Chantix is appropriately reflected in the product’s labeling,” Joseph Feczko, Pfizer’s chief medical officer, wrote in the ad.

Since its launch in August 2006, Chantix has been prescribed to 6 million patients and approved in 70 countries. Sales of Chantix reached $883 million in 2007, according to Dow Jones Newswires.