NEW YORK, April 12, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Parker & Waichman, LLP (www.yourlawyer.com) has been contacted by numerous current and former Bextra users who believe they were injured as a result of using the drug. Parker & Waichman, LLP continues to evaluate cases and consult with prospective clients who have experienced heart attacks and strokes as well as those who have been diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis during the use of Bextra. Bextra is a COX-2 arthritis pain reliever manufactured by Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE:PFE) that was removed from the market on April 7, 2005.
Parker & Waichman, LLP and Seeger Weiss LLP filed the first lawsuit in the United States in 2004 against Pfizer claiming their clients sustained injuries and resulting death as a result of ingestion of the drug Bextra.
Parker & Waichman, LLP has also received a significant amount of inquiries from patients who suffered heart attacks and strokes while using Celebrex. Both Bextra and Celebrex patients can receive a free case evaluation by visiting www.bextralegalhelp.com and www.celebrexlawyernetwork.com.
Based on the number of Celebrex inquiries and the research data available, Parker & Waichman, LLP supports Public Citizen's view that Celebrex should also be removed from the market. Parker & Waichman, LLP believes that the failure to remove Celebrex from the market puts millions of people at an unnecessary risk.
An unpublished study finished in 2000 indicated increased cardiac risks associated with Celebrex. A more recent study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute discovered that Celebrex's risk of causing a major cardiovascular event was two-and-a-half times greater than that for people taking a placebo. In 2004, almost twice as many prescriptions were written for Celebrex as for Bextra -- 23.9 million prescriptions compared to 12.9 million.
"The removal of Bextra is a step in the right direction but we cannot ignore the high rate of serious side effects associated with Celebrex," commented Jerrold S. Parker, one of the founding partners of Parker & Waichman, LLP. "We continue to believe that Celebrex is a dangerous drug that is no more effective in treating pain and no better tolerated than traditional NSAIDS. We will continue to represent victims of all COX-2 drugs whose lives have been impaired or lost." For more information on Celebrex, please visit www.yourlawyer.com/practice/overview.htm?topic=Celebrex. For more information on Bextra please www.yourlawyer.com/practice/overview.htm?topic=Bextra
For more information on Parker & Waichman, LLP please visit: (http://www.yourlawyer.com) or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636). For more information on Public Citizen please visit www.worstpills.org.
More information on this and other class actions can be found on theClass Action Newsline at www.primezone.com/ca.