What Is Bextra?
Bextra (Valdecoxib) was brought to the market in late 2001 by Pfizer as one of a new class of painkillers. Bextra is a member of a class of drugs called COX-2 selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. These painkillers were developed to be more effective at stopping pain while being gentler on the stomach than existing painkillers such as Aleve. However, new evidence has come to light that suggests the dangers posed by COX-2 inhibitors may far outweigh any benefits. Drugs like Bextra that block COX-2 enzymes and allow COX-1 enzymes are now thought to increase blood clotting, an excess of which can lead to coronary events like heart attacks and strokes
Bextra Recall Information
On April 7, 2005, the FDA and European regulators formally asked Pfizer to suspend sales of Bextra in the United States and Europe. As a result, Pfizer announced it would halt sales of the drug in the United States and the European Union countries immediately. The FDA stated that the risks posed by Bextra outweigh its benefits. These risks include a high rate of heart attacks, strokes and Stevens Johnson Syndrome.
On January 17, the journal Circulation published a report on its website with evidence linking ALL COX-2 inhibitors with increased risk of heart attack and stroke, according to the Washington Post. The study was lead by Dr. Garret FitzGerald, a cardiologist and pharmacologist at the University of Pennsylvania who has taken a leading role in demonstrating the risks of COX-2 inhibitor Bextra. He and his research team gave mice a COX-2 inhibitor similar to Celebrex and, according to Kaisernetwork.org, "observed 'dangerously unstable' deposits of plaque, which makes artery walls more likely to repture and activate clotting and could lead to a heart attack or stroke in humans". Dr. Fitzgerald noted that "the earliest evidence of cardiovascular risks associated with COX-2 drugs also came from animal experiments."
Although Bextra's manufacturer Pfizer claimed that Bextra was chemically different than COX-2 inhibitor Vioxx and did not present the same heart-related risks, Dr. FitzGerald presented data in November 2004 proving that patients taking Bextra have a 2.19 times greater risk of experiencing a severe coronary event such as a heart attack, stroke or death.
The prescription painkiller Bextra (Valdecoxib) has now been shown to more than double a patient's chance of a severe coronary event such as a heart attack, stroke or death in some instances. This represents a potential risk factor even greater than the painkiller Vioxx, which was removed from the market in September 2004.
Pfizer has also recently warned doctors that Bextra can cause rare but serious skin reactions like Stevens Johnson Syndrome more often than any other drug in its class. These potentially deadly skin reactions occur most often in the first two weeks of Bextra treatment.
The Sanders firm represents individuals and the families of individuals across America who have suffered severe injuries after use of the Bextra. Please contact us if you or a loved one has or you suspect that they have experienced these side effects from the use of Bextra or any other type of COX-2 drugs.
For more information or a free consultation, contact us.
