Pfizer Arthritis Drug Bextra Subject of Ill. Class Action

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - A class action lawsuit filed recently in Illinois alleges that Pfizer Inc. withheld information from consumers about a high risk of blood clots, stroke and heart attack associated with the company's arthritis drug Bextra. Mihalich, et al. v. Pfizer, Inc., No. 04-L-1263 (Ill. Cir. Ct., Madison Cty.).

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 15 in Madison County Circuit Court, alleges that Pfizer failed to adequately test the drug prior to its approval and that it acted negligently in its failure to disclose results of two recent studies indicating an excess risk of cardiovascular events among people who took Bextra. …