JPML Transfers Celebrex, Bextra Securities and ERISA Claims to New York

WASHINGTON - Federal ERISA and Securities claims arising from Pfizer Inc.'s alleged misrepresentation of the safety of its COX-2 drugs Bextra and Celebrex will be transferred to a single judge in New York. In re Pfizer Inc. Securities, Derivative & 'ERISA' Litigation, MDL Docket No. 1688 (JPML).

According to an order issued June 16 by the Judicial Panel of Multidistrict Litigation, 23 actions currently pending in four federal courts will be transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which the panel said has close ties to the litigation.

The lawsuits allege a variety of …