A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee has recommended banning direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of cox-2 inhibitors after finding that the painkillers produced by Merck and Pfizer increased the risk of heart attacksand strokes.

The FDA panel on Friday stopped short of banning Merck's Vioxx and Pfizer's Celebrex and Bextra but a majority recommended strong individually tailored “black box” warnings for the cardiovascular risk.