Bextra Class Action Lawsuit
A Law firm is investigating claims against pharmaceutical company Pharmacia on behalf of patients who have been prescribed the painkiller Bextra (valdecoxib) and later suffered a hypersensitivity reaction or a severe skin reaction due to taking Bextra. Bextra, a COX-2 inhibitor, was approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 16, 2001, and was marketed in March, 2002. Bextra can be rescribed for osteoarthritis, adult rheumatoid arthritis, and primary dysmennorhea.
The FDA announced on November 15, 2002, that it had received about 20 reports of serious reactions, including skin diseases (Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, exfoliative dermatitis, and erythema mutliforme) and hypersensitivity reactions (anaphylactic reactions and angioedema). Pharmacia had issued a “Dear Healthcare Professional” letter two days earlier. Previously, on October 22, the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (the European counterpart to the FDA) issued a public statement warning of the same problems due to taking Bextra.