South Carolina Man Suffered Celebrex-Related Heart Attack, Complaint Alleges

CHARLESTON, S.C. - A South Carolina couple has accused Celebrex manufacturer Pfizer of concealing information that the arthritis drug poses more than triple the risk of heart attack among patients who take the drug. Gipe v. Pfizer, Inc., No. 05-962 (D. S.C.).

Tomm and Melinda Gipe filed the complaint March 29 in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, alleging that Tomm Gipe suffered a heart attack Jan. 8, 2005, after taking the drug, which the plaintiffs contend is defective.

Gipe claims that at the time he took Celebrex, he was unaware of the drug's serious side …