BEXTRA®
Manufactured and marketed by Pfizer, Bextra® falls in a new class of arthritic drugs called COX-2 inhibitors that emerged in the late 1990s. Though these drugs have received praise for reduced gastrointestinal side effects when compared to the older non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, studies have shown that Bextra®, like Vioxx®, may carry a higher risk for heart problems and the same risk for kidney problems.
A study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific meeting suggests that patients using Pfizer's Bextra® may have more than twice the risk for suffering a heart attack or stroke compared with those given a placebo. The New York Times reports,
researchers looked at the pooled data of 5,930 patients in 12 clinical trials and found that, compared with placebo, those taking Bextra® had 2.19 times the number of heart attacks and strokes.
In an interview with The New York Times, Dr. Garrett A. FitzGerald, a cardiologist and pharmacologist at the University of Pennsylvania who presented the study, notes "The magnitude of the signal with Bextra® is even higher than what we saw in [Merck's] Vioxx® ... This is a time bomb waiting to go off,". Dr. Curt Furberg, who helped conduct the study, added: "Basically, we showed that Bextra® is no different than Vioxx®, and Pfizer is trying to suppress that information."
WHAT TO DO NEXT
If you or someone you know has suffered as a result of taking the prescription drug Bextra®, please contact a Bextra® injury attorney at Van Laningham & Associates immediately to discuss your case. We are currently investigating these cases and will evaluate your case at no charge.
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