Five Await Decision in Drug Review

NEW YORK — Five New York shops are vying for ad duties a new arthritis pain reliever that will be co-marketed by Pharmacia and Pfizer, sources said. They are Grey, McCann-Erickson, Merkley Newman Harty & Partners, Deutsch and J. Walter Thompson, according to sources.

Pitches took place last week and a decision is expected shortly. Billings could not be ascertained but the as yet unnamed drug is designed as a successor to Celebrex, which received nearly $80 million in measured media support last year, according to Competitive Media Reporting.