08/08/2008- Two painkillers pulled from the market in recent years -- Vioxx (also known as rofecoxib) and Bextra (also known as valdecoxib) - increase the risk of stroke, new research indicates. More ::

02/27/2008 - Drug maker Pfizer has delivered 36 million pages of facts about painkillers Celebrex and Bextra to class action attorney Stephen Tillery, but he won't tell Pfizer who prescribed the pills for his clients or who paid for the pills. More ::

05/18/2006 - New data obtained by NPR show that patients who took Vioxx even for short periods were at higher risk of heart problems and strokes. An estimated 20 million Americans took the painkiller before Merck & Co. stopped selling it in 2004. More ::

04/07/2005 - The government has asked Pfizer Inc. to withdraw the painkiller Bextra from the market and include the strongest safety warning on Celebrex. More ::

02/17/2005 - A panel of federal drug advisers who gathered here on Wednesday to judge the safety of the heavy-selling pain pills Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx were tough, sometimes even caustic, in their remarks about the drugs, suggesting that the panel may take a hard line on their uses. More ::

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Bextra Recall
A recent Bextra side effects ( Valdecoxib side effects ) study shows that with Bextra the risk of suffering a heart attack is higher than the risk of a Vioxx induced heart attack or stroke. Due to these increased risks as well as the risk of a rare skin disorder called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome the FDA has ordered Pfizer to withdrawal Bextra from the market.

On November 9, 2004 a study was presented at the American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans indicating that the incidence of heart attacks and strokes in patients taking Bextra - generic name ( valdecoxib ) was double that of the placebo. Bextra is approved to treat arthritis pain and is a COX-2 inhibitor. Other drugs in the class have also shown to increase cardiovascular events; Merck’s Vioxx was recalled in September 2004 due to increased risk of heart attack and stroke. While Vioxx was marketed as having less stomach irritation than ibuprofen or naproxen, Bextra was not shown to have this benefit.

The Bextra study included 5,930 patients from 12 trials and found 2.19 times the number of heart attacks or strokes among patients given Bextra, compared with those given placebos. However, Pfizer, the maker of Bextra, declared on October 15, 2004 that heart problems with Bextra appear only in patients with a very high risk for heart disease who were having heart surgery. Doctors involved in the study claim that Pfizer is trying to suppress Bextra’s link to heart attacks and strokes. Pfizer said publicly following the Vioxx recall that Bextra did not carry the same cardiovascular risks as Vioxx. The FDA also recently denied Pfizer’s request that Bextra be approved for the treatment of migraine headaches.

Bextra side effects also include rare and sometimes fatal skin diseases Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis; the Bextra Warning label will be updated with a black box warning indicating the Bextra side effects include these skin disorders. Many physicians believe that given the risk of a Bextra heart attack, Bextra stroke and Bextra fatal skin diseases, Bextra should be removed from the market. Given Pfizer’s 2003 Bextra sales of $687 million, it may be some time before the company puts the public health ahead of profits.

What is Bextra?
Bextra is a medicine that is prescribed to provide temporary relief of the pain associated with inflammation, and stiffness of osteoarthritis and adult rheumatoid arthritis. Bextra is also used to relieve pain from menstrual cramping ( primary dysmenorrhea ).

Like Vioxx Bextra is a class of drug called a COX-2 inhibitor ( Bextra, Vioxx, & Celebrex are all COX-2 inhibitors ). BEXTRA along with other COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx ( Merck ) and Celebrex ( Pfizer ) work by blocking an enzyme called COX-2 which is produced by the body. COX-2 is known to play a major role in causing arthritis pain and inflammation. By targeting the COX-2 enzyme Bextra ( along with Vioxx and Celebrex ) can relieve the pain, stiffness, and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Bextra Side Effects:

• Stroke
• HeartAtack
• Blood Clots
• Stevens Johnson Syndrome
• Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis
• Stomach Bleeding
• Death

If you or a loved one have taken Bextra you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Bextra attorneys of Ennis & Ennis, P.A. today for a free confidential case evaluation. Our on staff nurse and lawyers are standing by to answer any questions you may have regarding Bextra side effects, a possible Bextra class action lawsuit, or any type of Bextra litigation.