Bextra - Recalled for Heart Attack Risk

En Español BEXTRA ATAQUE AL CORAZóN

On Apr-07-05 the FDA asked Pfizer, the manufacturer of Bextra, to recall the pain medication from shelves across the U.S. due to risks of heart attacks and strokes in patients. Canada Health quickly followed suit and asked Pfizer to recall Bextra from Canadian shelves. Pfizer has also suspended sales of Bextra in the European Union.

Bextra has been prescribed to arthritis sufferers to relieve symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Bextra has also been prescribed to women in hopes of relieving PMS and painful menstrual cycles. Bextra is classified as a Cox-2 inhibitor, a newly developed drug in the Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory (NSAID) family. To date, several Cox-2 inhibitors have been banned due to the increased risk of stroke, heart attack, stomach ulcers, liver damage, and severe skin reactions.

On Jan-29-05, health care giant Kaiser Permanente, an HMO serving 2.6 million Californians, stopped prescribing Bextra to its patients.

"This is not a drug that saves lives,'' said Dr. Sharon Levine, a pediatrician who oversees medication usage for Kaiser Permanente's Northern California division. "It's a drug that provides a modest degree of pain relief -- no better than Motrin -- and the size of the risk, given the benefit provided, did not seem warranted.''

On Dec-10-04 the FDA increased the warning on Bextra labels to include a "black box" warning against using the medication for patients with cardiac problems.

On Nov-11-04, University of Pennsylvania researchers told the American Heart Association that a recent clinical trial revealed that patients taking Bextra had more than twice the incidence of heart attack and stroke than nonusers.

On Oct-18-04, Pfizer admitted that two small clinical trials showed heart bypass surgery patients taking Bextra had a higher risk of stroke and heart attack.

University of Pennsylvania pharmacologist Dr. Garret FitzGerald claims "The magnitude of [cardiac problems] with Bextra is even higher than what we saw in Vioxx." Bextra's risk appeared to pose a slightly higher risk than Vioxx for heart attack and stroke. FitzGerald believes that the same mechanism that makes the Cox-2 inhibitor drugs easier on the stomach also blocks a substance that prevents heart problems.

Bextra Articles

Bextra: The Kind of Pain That Never Leaves You
Joann Simmons is a name on a court docket nowÓjust two words in a legal document. But those two words represent someone's life partner, who is no longer here. And the life partner left behind, James Simmons, has filed a wrongful death suit against the makers of Bextra.

Vioxx/Bextra: "They get you fixed but then they stonewall you."
Jay Sullivan is a cancer survivor, which is an accomplishment in itself. He's also a survivor of Merck's Vioxx and Pfizer's Bextra, two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) that were pulled from the market because of a dangerously high risk of heart attack.

Bextra, Bextra! Read All About It! First trial to be heard in May
Nearly four years after Bextra was taken off the market for cardiovascular risk, the first Bextra trial is scheduled to be heard May 5th. On the heels of the mammoth $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement, the Multi-District Litigation (MDL) Court for the Bextra/Celebrex litigation is finally ramping up in California.

Bextra in the News

OCT-05-05: Bextra lawsuit filed in U.S. District court - East St. Louis on behalf of seven plaintiffs; five plaintiffs allegedly suffered strokes and heart attacks after taking the prescription pain reliever and two plaintiffs are filing complaints after their family member died due to cardiovascular problems allegedly associated with Bextra. The lawsuit seeks damages against Pfizer, Pharmacia, Monsanto and Searle with claims that the companies did not disclose proper warnings regarding Bextra's side effects and failed to adequately test Bextra prior to distribution. Monsanto and Searle merged with Pharmacia in 2000 and Pfizer and Pharmacia merged in 2003.

APR-07-05: The FDA pulls Bextra off the market and issues a Public Health Advisory to patients using Cox-2 inhibitors Bextra and Celebrex warning of side effects and risks of cardiovascular (CV) events and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.

Bextra Lawyer

If you or a loved one has suffered from the side effects of Bextra, you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in a possible lawsuit. Find a Bextra Lawyer. Please click the link below to submit your complaint to a lawyer who will review your claim at no cost or obligation.