Painkiller Bextra Taken Off Market

April 8, 2005

(CBS/AP) The painkiller Bextra was taken off the market Thursday, and

the government wants other drugs in the same class to carry the

strongest possible warnings about increased risk of heart attack and

stroke among the millions of people who rely on them.

Pfizer Inc. suspended sales of Bextra in the United States and the

European Union at the request of the Food and Drug Administration and

European regulators. The company said that the FDA, in seeking

Bextra's withdrawal, cited a risk of serious skin reactions to Bextra

on top of the risks shared by other similar drugs.

The boxed warning recommended for the other non-steroidal

anti-inflammatory prescription drugs is the strongest available to the

FDA.

" This is not an emergency in the sense that these drugs could be

immediately harmful to anyone, " said CBS News Medical Correspondent

Dr. Emily Senay.

" However, " she added, " it's clear that the FDA feels strongly enough

to act that Bextra be taken off the market. "

In addition to the prescription drugs, the FDA asked manufacturers of

related over-the-counter painkillers such as Advil and Motrin to

revise their labels to include information about the risks of

cardiovascular incidents and gastrointestinal bleeding.