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Every year approximately 200,000 Americans die from prescription drug reactions.
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QUICK FACTS ON CELEBREX:
- On December 17th 2004, the results of a study showed that the painkiller Celebrex could increase by 300% the potential for heart attacks, strokes or even death.
- Celebrex is one of the top 10 selling drugs in the United States .
- Celebrex projected to produce U.S. sales greater than $3 billion this year.
- 27 million Celebrex prescriptions written last year alone.
- On December 20, 2004, the FDA mandated that Pfizer pull all Celebrex advertising from TV, radio, newspapers and magazines.
- Celebrex was the first of Pharmacia's COX-2 inhibitors.
CELEBREX OVERVIEW
The CELEBREX ® arthritis drug entered the U.S. market in 1999 with record sales within the first fifteen weeks. It did not take long for people to begin to question the "super aspirin" as reports linking CELEBREX ® to death and serious side effects began to come in just three months on the market.
Celebrex is in a class of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Celebrex works by reducing substances that cause inflammation, pain, and fever in the body.
Celebrex is used to reduce pain, inflammation, and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Celebrex is also used to reduce the number of adenomatous colorectal polyps in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), to treat acute pain, and to treat pain associated with menstruation.
A study has been uncovered that found "the number of Celebrex patients suffering heart attacks was almost four times that of those taking a placebo." The study was conducted by Pfizer in 1999. The study was never published and was not submitted to the FDA until several years later.
CELEBREX RISKS
Celebrex has been linked to an increased risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. Celebrex is used to treat arthritis. Bextra is also a COX-2 inhibitor, marketed by Pharmacia Corporation and Pfizer Inc. in the United States . The drug is prescribed for the treatment of osteoarthritis, adult rheumatoid arthritis, and the pain associated with menstrual cramping.
Dr. Ned Braunstein, senior director of Merck Research Laboratories, told the panel of FDA advisers.
A study from the Cleveland Clinic appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association and was based on an analysis of previous clinical trials. In a study of more than 8,000 patients that compared the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib (Vioxx) with the traditional NSAID naproxen, the risk of cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, chest pain related to heart disease, stroke, sudden death and blood clots, was more than two times higher in the rofecoxib group than in the naproxen group.
CELEBREX® SIDE EFFECTS!
- Death
- Heart Attacks
- Strokes
- Seizures
- Birth Defects
- Pregnancy Complications
- High Blood Pressure
- Liver Damage
- Significant Bleeding
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Indigestion and Heartburn
- Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
- Diarrhea
- Sinus Inflammation
- Ulcers
CELEBREX ® users suffering from any of the above symptoms should immediately contact a physician. The Food and Drug Administration advised all doctors to consider avoiding Celebrex .
The National Institutes of Health announced that they were going to suspend the use of Celebrex for all participants in a large colorectal cancer prevention clinic.
KEY DATES ON CELEBREX
- On April 7, 2005, the FDA asked Pfizer, Inc. to withdraw Bextra from the market.
- On December 20, 2004 , the FDA mandated that Pfizer pull all Celebrex advertising from TV, radio, newspapers and magazines.
- In December 2004 , the FDA announced a Public Health Advisory recommending the limited use of of Celebrex after studies showed that the use of Celebrex more than doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
- In Decmeber 20, 2004 The National Institutes of Health halted an Alzheimer's prevention study of Celebrex.
- On December 17, 2004, Pfizer announced that a study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute shows that Celebrex more than doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
- On June 8, 2002 , the FDA said that CELEBREX ® must continue to carry a warning on the arthritis drug's label that it can result in serious ulcer complications.
- In September 2001 , the American Heart Association, the National Stroke Association and the Arthritis Foundation asked CELEBREX ®' manufacturer (Pharmacia Corp.) to test whether CELEBREX ® increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- in August 2001, in the medical journal JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) raised concerns over the possible impact on cardiovascular health.
- On December 23, 1999 , the FDA approved CELEBREX ® as a drug treatment aimed at reducing the number of intestinal polyps in patients with a rare genetic disorder called familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP).
- On December 31, 1998, CELEBREX ® (Celecoxib) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and osteo-arthritis.
Celebrex is in the same class of drugs (Cox 2 Inhibitors) as Vioxx. Recently Vioxx was withdrawn from the market due to safety concerns that of an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. In light of the withdraw, Celebrex has yet to be taken off of the market, despite the serious concerns with heart and skin problems. According to Pfizer, Celebrex is the "world's most prescribed arthritis drug." It has been prescribed to 27 million Americans. Pfizer stopped advertising the drug, however the drug is still available.
CONTACT AN EXPERIENCED CELEBREX LAWYER
Several thousand people have contacted us to help them find an experienced Celebrex lawyer. Every month, more than 100,000 people visit our legal help centers seeking help for their family's legal needs. In the past 5 years we have we helped thousands of people get their cases settled with experienced legal representation in each state. |
