Bextra Side Effects
Following the recent revelations that Vioxx and heart disease are closely related ... a competing drug from Pfizer, Bextra, has now been shown to display similar health problems. What's especially weighty about this particular revelation is that it comes from the American Heart Association, a disease-industry group that has traditionally acted in favor of pharmaceutical companies. Because of this, the AHA deserves credit for allowing this study to be published.
In the preliminary results, Bextra was found to increase the incidence of heart attacks and strokes by 219%. The cardiologist who presented the study, Dr. Garret Fitzgerald, called the Bextra side effects, "A time bomb waiting to go off," and noted that the apparent dangers of Bextra exceed those associated with Vioxx. Pfizer, of course, downplayed the study in an attempt to minimize any negative backlash from its release. The question remains, however: will Pfizer now follow in Merck's footsteps and voluntarily recall Bextra? And if it refuses to do so, will the FDA step in and finally perform the regulatory function it has been so reluctant to use by banning Bextra from the market? Or will this warning be swept aside in favor of a policy that allows this drug to continue to be sold to tens of millions of Americans, regardless of its questionable safety?
Drew Voight 
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