PI Firm Expects Flood Of Bextra Claims After FDA Sales Suspension

NEW YORK, April 16– Since October 2004, Manhattan personal injury firm Weitz & Luxenberg has accepted new clients who have been seriously injured by the pain reducing medication Bextra. Bextra was prescribed to millions of Americans to treat the pain associated with arthritis, menstrual discomfort, and other ailments. Now, in light of the Food and Drug Administration’s demand that Bextra’s manufacturer, Pfizer, pull the drug from the market, the firm anticipates an increase in individuals seeking to file suit to get compensation for their injuries.

On April 7, 2005 the FDA asked Pfizer, Inc. to withdraw the drug from the market because the overall risk versus benefit profile for the drug is unfavorable. Common risks associated with the drug include angina, heart attack, stroke, fatal skin reactions, and Stevens Johnson syndrome. Pfizer first acknowledged risks associated with Bextra in October of 2004. The American Heart Association soon after was presented with a report indicating patients using Bextra while recovering from heart surgery were 2.19 times more likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack than those taking placebos.

With the FDA’s request for the removal of the drug, there will undoubtedly be new awareness of the dangers associated with Bextra, and many users will want to know their rights and means of legal recourse. Weitz and Luxenberg has a dedicated team of lawyers and client relations specialists who have been reviewing Bextra claims for months, and who can answer questions and advise Bextra users of their best course of legal action. The public is also invited to visit Weitz and Luxenberg’s corporate website, http://www.weitzlux.com, to access the firm’s extensive Bextra resource center.

In addition to requesting Pfizer to pull Bextra from the market, the FDA has also asked the company to include a boxed warning in the Celebrex label highlighting the potential for increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding associated with its use.
Personal injury law firms such as Weitz & Luxenberg are concentrating on the most serious Bextra and Celebrex-related injuries; heart attacks, strokes, severe skin reactions, Stevens Johnson Syndrome, and death, paying particular attention to the dosage and frequency with which the drugs were taken when evaluating potential lawsuits.

People who have been injured by Bextra or Celebrex can contact Weitz & Luxenberg. Interested parties should call the Client Relations Department at 1 (800) 476-6070, email clientrelations@weitzlux.com, and view the firm's website at http://www.weitzlux.com.

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Contact:

David Kufeld, Director of Marketing
Weitz & Luxenberg, PC
180 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038
(212) 558-5682 - phone
(212) 558-5692 - fax
dkufeld@weitzlux.com