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First Celebrex lawsuit in the Country Going to Trial

February 28, 2006

The first Celebrex lawsuit in the United States, filed last year against the huge drug company Pfizer, is set for trial in June 2006 in Alabama.

Stroke survivor Rosie Ware, a 53-year-old Alabama resident, was prescribed the arthritis medication, Celebrex, and suffered a stroke in February 2005. She sued Pfizer, the manufacturer of the drug.

According to the plaintiff's law firm Beasley Allen, Ware's stroke "cost her substantial sums of money for medical, hospital, and related care." The firm refused to indicate the amount of damages the plaintiff seeks. However, Beasley did say, "we're going to ask for a lot."

Celebrex, a member of the same class of drugs as Bextra and Merck's Vioxx (Cox-2 inhibitors), is the only one of the three drugs remaining on the market after studies showed serious side effects of the medication.

Merck pulled Vioxx off the market after studies revealed the drug significantly increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients who took the medication longer than 18 months. Since then, almost 10,000 lawsuits have been filed against Merck by Vioxx patients.

Then in April 2005, The Food and Drug Administration asked Pfizer to take their Cox-2 inhibitor, Bextra, off the market due to increased health risks.

"The FDA, [European Agency for Evalusation of Medicinal Products], and other health authorities around the world have concluded that the benefits of Celebrex continue to outweigh the risks, and as a result, Celebrex is the only Cox-2 inhibitor remaining on the market today," Pfizer spokesman Bryan Haskins said.

While Celebrex still remains on the market, sales of the drug have been cut in half from $3.3 billion in 2004 to $1.7 billion in 2005. Additionally, the FDA issued a "black box," the most serious health warning, to the Celebrex label letting millions of consumers know of the risks associated with the drug including heart attacks, strokes, and gastrointestinal bleeding.

Beasley Allen law firm has filed 150 cases against Pfizer, most of which are being combined in Federal Court in California.

For more information on the Celebrex lawsuit, please contact us to confer with a Celebrex Lawyer and learn your legal rights and options.

 

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