Study Indicates Celebrex More Than Doubles Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

Pfizer announced on December 17, 2004 that results from a recent study indicated Celebrex more than doubled the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. In spite of this troubling news, Pfizer released a statement saying the company had no plans to recall the drug.

This news comes less than three months after Merck pulled a similar drug from the market. Vioxx was withdrawn in September 2004 after reports the drug significantly increased cardiovascular problems in patients. O'Steen & Harrison also is representing people injured after taking that drug.

Many believe that the widely reported problems with Vioxx are common among all COX-2 Inhibitors, a class of drugs used for the treatment of arthritis. In October 2004, Pfizer announced that Bextra, another arthritis drug in the COX-2 family, increased the risk of heart problems in high-risk patients.

Shortly after the announcement from Pfizer, the FDA said the agency is recommending that doctors consider prescribing other medications to their patients. The FDA had been criticized by many for being slow to react to the Vioxx crisis when reports began surfacing of significant health risks.

For free answers to your questions about the Celebrex lawsuit, just call us toll-free or submit this online contact form.

The troubling news from Pfizer came as the result of a study conducted by the National Cancer Institute. The health organization monitored a clinical trial intended to determine the effectiveness of Celebrex in the treatment of cancer. The study was supported by Pfizer.

The study found that patients taking 800mg of Celebrex daily were at a 3.4 times great risk of serious cardiovascular risk (including heart attack and stroke) than those taking a placebo. Those patients taking the 400mg dosage were at a 2.5 times great risk.

The study included 2,000 patients. Of those 2,000 patients, 35 of the participants taking Celebrex suffered either a heart attack or stroke.

In spite of this damaging data, the President of Pfizer said the company had no plans to recall Celebrex. He said the drug had not "shown in totality that it increases the risk of heart attacks." In fact, the company now is pushing forward with a plan to determine whether Celebrex is helpful in preventing heart attacks in high-risk patients. The company already has announced its similar drug Bextra puts high-risk patients at an even greater risk for heart attack and stroke.

Pfizer continued to actively promote the drug even after experts became concerned that Celebrex was dangerous. Following the Vioxx withdrawal, Pfizer launched an expensive advertising campaign promoting the drug's safety.

O'Steen & Harrison, PLC presently is handling legal claims on behalf of those injured by Celebrex. We invite you to contact us for a free, confidential consultation about your legal rights.

We will represent patients throughout the United States. We can help you, too, wherever you live.

For more information about Celebrex, please call us toll-free at 1-800-883-8888 or complete this online contact form.