Do I have a Celebrex Case?

Celebrex and Bextra - Safety Issues from Beasley Allen
December 23, 2004 07:31

On December 17th, Pfizer announced it found an increased risk of heart problems with patients taking its pain killer, Celebrex. This drug is in the same class as Vioxx, which was pulled from the market in September. Similar safety issues have been raised regarding Pfizer's Bextra, another Cox-II inhibitor. The Beasley Allen Law firm is a national leader in Cox-II litigation and has been for over three years. Andy Birchfield, Attorney
BEASLEY, ALLEN, CROW, andy.birchfield@beasleyallen.com www.beasleyallen.com

Celebrex: Lawyer: Monheit Law: Side Effects: Heart Attack: 200mg Celebrex Montgomery, AL - December 21, 2004 -- Tom Methvin, managing shareholder at Beasley Allen Law Firm, has called upon Pfizer to recall Celebrex. "Our firm has been watching... (Read Celebrex Article)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -(Dow Jones)- An Arkansas law firm filed suit charging Pfizer Inc. (PFE) with misrepresenting the potential dangers of its arthritis drug Celebrex. The pharmaceutical giant, which removed all Celebrex advertising as of Monday, now faces... (Read Celebrex Article)

ARTHRITIS DRUG RAISES HEART-ATTACK CONCERNS

The future of Celebrex, the best-selling arthritis pain medicine, may be determined as much by Dr. Jason Faller and other doctors treating arthritis patients as by federal regulators.

``Certainly I will be disinclined to start patients anew on the drugs,'' Faller said. Still, he said Celebrex and Bextra, a similar arthritis drug also made by Pfizer that has also raised heart attack concerns, provide useful alternatives for some patients who are not helped by older over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen, the generic name for Advil.

Both Celebrex and Vioxx, a similar medicine which Merck stopped selling in September after it was also linked to heart attacks, are generally no more effective than over-the-counter medicines, said Dr. Marcia Angell, the former But Dr. Gail Cawkwell, who directs Pfizer's medical research on Celebrex and Bextra, said many patients benefited from the drugs. ``Celebrex still has some significant benefits over the older medicines,'' she said. ``We've had a lot of support from doctors saying they have patients who haven't responded to anything else.''

Mercury News

Celebrex: Lawyer: Monheit Law: Side Effects: Heart Attack: NY Times Pfizer officials on Sunday said that they have agreed to an FDA request to suspend all direct-to-consumer advertisements for Celebrex but will not remove the medication from... (Read Celebrex Article)

The future of Celebrex, the best-selling arthritis pain medicine, may be determined as much by Dr. Jason Faller and other physicians treating arthritis patients as federal regulators. "Certainly I will be disinclined to start patients anew on the drugs,"... (Read Celebrex Article)

Montgomery, AL (PRWEB) December 21, 2004 -- Tom Methvin, managing shareholder at Beasley Allen Law Firm , has called upon Pfizer to recall Celebrex . "Our firm has been watching the situation unfold over the past 4 years. In light of the recent findings which undeniably link Celebrex to greater heart-attack risks, it is time for Pfizer to act responsibly and pull the drug from the market," said Mr. Methvin at a recent press conference.

According to a clinical trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute (news - web sites) (NCI) and Pfizer, Inc., patients taking 400 mg of the drug twice daily had a 3.4 times greater risk of cardiovascular events compared to placebo. For patients in the trial taking 200 mg. twice daily, the risk was 2.5 times greater. The average duration of treatment in the trial was 33 months.

These findings are similar to recent results from a study of Vioxx (rofecoxib), another drug in the same class. Vioxx was recently voluntarily recalled by Merck in September. Another drug in this class, Bextra (valdecoxib) has shown an increased risk for CV events in patients after heart surgery. Bextra and Celebrex are the only two selective COX-2 agents currently on the U.S. market.

While Pfizer announced today that it would halt advertising of the drug, it appears they had little choice in that decision. The Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) said on Friday that it was considering regulatory measures that could include severe label warnings or even requiring that the drug be withdrawn in the United States.

"Pfizer will inevitably have to recall Celebrex," Mr. Methvin said, "and I believe they are making a careless decision in not doing so immediately."

Andy Birchfield, Beasley Allen"s lead Celebrex Litigation attorney , is spearheading the review of 383 cases, having filed 53 of those cases against Pfizer dating back to 2000.

For more information: Andy Birchfield, Attorney Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C. 1-800-898-2034 toll free 1-334-954-7555 fax andy.birchfield@beasleyallen.com

Online Media Contact: Jayme Yarroch 1-800-898-2343 toll free 1-334-657-8959 mobile jayme.yarroch@beasleyallen.com Beasley Allen Law Firm Celebrex Lawsuit Information