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Bextra Emerging Class Action Lawsuit
| Bextra |
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| | 113 | LEAD PLAINTIFF: Case Filed: 2008-03-16 |
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Case Summary: 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. Case Detail: Bextra - Recalled for Heart Attack Risk 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. |
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