Bextra Increases Heart Attack Risk By 50 Percent

February 2005 Study Results Link COX-2 Painkillers Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra to Heart Attack and Stroke

After Merck withdrew Vioxx from the market in September 2004 when it was discovered that Vioxx increased the risk of heart attack, later studies emerged showing other COX-2 inhibitor drugs to be equally dangerous.

In February 2005, WellPoint Inc., the nation's largest provider of health benefits, examined 7,232 patient records of people taking Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra, and 629,245 records for patients not taking a COX-2 drug. Dr. Eric Matteson, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, said the study was significant because of the amount of patients it included and because it backs up other studies. Vioxx and Celebrex were found to increase patients' risk of heart attack and stroke by 20%, and Bextra increased the risk by 50%. Bextra is still on the market, but support is dwindling. Kaiser Permanente, a California based HMO, hospital, and health clinic network, recently stopped prescribing Bextra for at least six months, or until the FDA or manufacturer Pfizer can prove Bextra is safe. The FDA is holding hearings beginning February 16, 2005 to review the safety of COX-2 drugs, including Bextra. There have been at least three studies linking Bextra to increased risk of heart attack and strokes.

A recent New England Journal of Medicine article advising doctors against prescribing Bextra, coupled with Kaiser's moratorium on Bextra, could prompt other large health systems to abandon Bextra as well. A November 2004 study revealed Bextra's heart risks surpass those of Vioxx.

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