Maker of Celebrex in Trouble Again
By Ashley Van Leuven
Published on April 24, 2007
John Wiese, Bryan Williams, Lorraine Thurmond, Kathleen Kaplan, and Diane Ribbentrop, all residents of Illinois, claim they suffered various cardiovascular injuries and financial hardships as a result of taking Celebrex.
The plaintiffs all state they took the drug correctly, but would not have taken it had they been adequately warned about its dangers, which include heart attack and stroke.
Although Celebrex, made by Pfizer, was approved by the FDA in 1999 to relieve pain caused by osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, the plaintiffs in the Madison County case maintain that the drug is defectively designed, inadequately tested, and lacks proper warning about its dangers.
In addition, the suit states that Pfizer\'s advertisements for Celebrex are misleading in that they claim the drug is just as safe as other, less expensive NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as aspirin.
No court date for the case has been set.
Celebrex belongs to a class of drugs known as Cox-2 inhibitors. Vioxx, another well-known drug in this class, was recalled in 2004 due to a torrent of injury claims filed against its maker, Merck & Co.
Keyword Tags: