Pfizer Targeted in Class Action Filed by Residents Who Suffered Alleged Bextra Injuries

CLEVELAND - A class action lawsuit filed just two days before Pfizer acceded to an FDA request to pull Bextra from the market alleges that the manufacturer promoted its COX-2 inhibitor knowing that it posed a risk of cardiovascular events to patients who took the drug. Blatnik v. Pfizer, Inc., No. 05-900 (N.D. Ohio).

The class action, which was filed April 5 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, alleges that Bextra remained on the market despite scientific studies documenting a greater than triple risk of heart attack, stroke and death linked to Bextra use.

The complaint …