Bextra (Valdecoxib)
In November 2004, Pfizer added a "black box" warning -- the FDA's highest warning level -- to the Bextra label. That label warns of serious skin reactions and warns bypass patients not to take the drug.
The following information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.
What is Bextra (valdecoxib)?
Bextra is in a class of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). It works by reducing substances in the body that cause inflammation, pain, and fever. Bextra is used to reduce pain, inflammation, and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis and adult rheumatoid arthritis. Bextra is also used to treat painful menstruation.
Vioxx Bextra Celebrex alert
Vioxx, the popular arthritis medication, has been pulled from the market by drug manufacturer Merck & Co. The company announced an immediate, voluntary, worldwide withdrawal of the drug after a three-year colon cancer study confirmed long-standing concerns the drug raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.
"Dec. 17, (WebMD Medical News) - Celebrex more than doubled - and sometimes more than tripled -- heart deaths, heart attacks, and strokes in people enrolled in a cancer-prevention study, research shows.
The findings come from a National Cancer Institute (NCI) study of more than 2,000 people, called the APC trial. The NCI halted the study, designed to see whether Celebrex could prevent colon cancer in people who previously had colon polyps removed. Those who took 400 mg of Celebrex a day had 2.5 times as many heart deaths, heart attacks, and strokes as those who did not take the drug. Those who took 800 mg of Celebrex a day had 3.4 times more of these so-called cardiovascular events.
This seems like a replay of last September's revelation that the arthritis drug Vioxx is linked to heart attacks. Vioxx was pulled from the market after a colon cancer prevention trial found it increased the risk of heart attacks. Celebrex, made by Pfizer, is in the same family of drugs - called Cox-2 inhibitors -- as Vioxx. So is Pfizer's Bextra, which has also been linked to heart problems.
In light of the news on Celebrex, *The New England Journal of Medicine today released a letter it plans to publish in its Dec. 23, 2004 issue. The letter, by Vanderbilt University researcher Wayne A. Ray, PhD, and colleagues, warns patients to stop taking Bextra until it's proven safe.
"We believe the doubts raised about the safety of [Bextra] constitute a potential imminent hazard to public health and thus require action," Ray and colleagues write."
Where can I buy Bextra (valdecoxib)?
You can buy Bextra online by clicking www.affordabledrugs.com or buy calling us at 1 800 887 6890.
Bextra (valdecoxib) information links:
Bextra (valdecoxib) information Website
PFIZER CANADA INC., web site
PDR consumer site about Bextra (valdecoxib)
*The New England Journal of Medicine Dec. 23, 2004 issue.
Affordable Drugs information site including Bextra (valdecoxib). Information at www.affordabledrugs.com or 1800-887-6890.
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