Painkillers set to become the new wave in American courts

Hundreds of patients sought lawyers via a website after regulators' `great concerns' about Pfizer-made Celebrex. BLOOMBERG

Hours after the safety of a blockbuster arthritis drug was called into question last week, a new page popped up on injuryboard.com, inviting patients to summarise their ``Celebrex experience'' and click a button to submit their ``case'' to a personal injury lawyer.

Move over tobacco, asbestos and fen-phen.

The next big wave of lawsuits to hit courthouses across the United States is likely to target the makers of Celebrex, Vioxx and Bextra - similar and enormously popular painkillers now suspected of increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/World/FL24Wd01.html