Bextra Drug Information, including Bextra Lawsuits

Information provided by Bextra Lawyers at Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP

On April 7, 2005, the Food and Drug Administration requested that Pfizer suspend sales of Bextra in the United States. Two recent small studies run by Pfizer (the manufacturer of Bextra) have shown that heart bypass surgery patients taking Bextra (valdecoxib), an anti-inflammatory that serves a similar function as the recently withdrawn drug Vioxx, had a higher risk of stroke and heart attack. Recent evidence suggests that common Bextra side effects increase the risk of stroke and heart attack when it was given to very high-risk patients who had undergone coronary bypass surgery. Bextra is also being linked to Stevens Johnson Syndrome, a rare inflammatory skin disorder that can be life-threatening-up to 27 percent of those affected incur long term eye damage or vision loss, and up to 15 percent die. This could lead to a massive Bextra recall.

Bextra has only been studied in arthritis patients for up to a year. Doctors said it is too early to quantify the potential risk of Bextra or of Pfizer's other COX-2 inhibitor Celebrex as neither have tested for long enough. Pfizer said it is conducting longer term trials in arthritis patients. Serious safety concerns about the entire class of COX-2 inhibitors, including Bextra, have been raised due to the recent Vioxx recall. If you or a loved one was injured after using Bextra, you may have grounds for a Bextra lawsuit; please contact a Bextra lawyer at our law firm today for a free consultation.