Pfizer has reached a tentative agreement to settle lawsuits involving its Bextra and Celebrex painkillers for $894 million. If it goes forward, the Pfizer Bextra and Celebrex settlement will resolve roughly 90 percent of the personal injury lawsuits the company faces because of the drugs.
Celebrex and Bextra are COX-2 inhibitors, a class of drugs that also includes Merck’s recalled Vioxx. Such medications are linked to an increased risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. Pfizer withdrew Bextra from the market in 2005, and Celebrex is the only COX-2 inhibitor still on the market in the United States.
Celebrex carries the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) strictest “black-box” warning on its drug label, stating that it may cause an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes. Despite its apparent risk, Celebrex continued to generate $2.3 billion in sales in 2007, a 12 percent increase from the previous year.
According to The New York Times, $760 million of the Bextra and Celebrex settlement would go to settle roughly 7,000 personal injury cases, $60 million will cover settlements with attorneys general in the 33 states and the District of Columbia, and $89 million will cover consumer fraud class action cases over reimbursement for money spent on the two drugs.
Pfizer said it hopes to finalize the settlement by the end of the year. A spokesperson for the company said that Pfizer would also like to include many of the remaining personal injury lawsuits the settlement. The company will fight those not settled with court motions or at trial.
COX-2 inhibitors have been the subject of safety worries since 2004, when Merck pulled Vioxx from the market. The FDA ordered the painkiller off the market after an analysis of patients using Vioxx linked the defective drug to more than 27,000 heart attacks or sudden cardiac deaths in the U.S. from 1999 through 2003. The Vioxx recall led to thousands of lawsuits.
Last November, Merck announced a $4.85 billion settlement with the thousands of people who had filed Vioxx injury lawsuits. Under the terms of the settlement, Merck set up a $4 billion fund for people who claim they suffered heart attacks as a result of Vioxx, and another $850 million fund for those who suffered ischemic strokes. Partial settlement payments started going out to some Vioxx plaintiffs last month.
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May 19th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
I took celebrex but no adverse side effects in 2001 to 2004. Does the settlement include people like me?
May 24th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Can you file a claim for being overcharged for Celebrex expenses if you have not had an injury?
Many thanks,
Teresa Hammer
May 26th, 2009 at 7:55 am
I just saw the lawsuit about anyone that has taken Celebrex.I was prescribed it several years ago and took it.I was also prescribed and took Viox.I never filed on either one of these.Is it too late now too get on the list of either or both? W.A.Orr,III 5-26-09
May 28th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I was on Vioxx, Bextra and still on
celebrex. Loved the Bextra and Vioxx, my pain in my knees was non existant. Now am on Celebrex, does nothing to help the pain, I think. Please find a good pain reliever for us that suffer
daily. Keep me informed. Been on this medicine for at least ten years.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I was on Celebrex from March 1999 until February 2009. Can I file a claim for being overcharged for Celebrex if I have not had an injury? If so please let me now how to go about this. Thanks.
May 31st, 2009 at 6:20 am
I have taken in the past all 3 medications but have never filed a claim. I had no side effects as mentioned, but wondering if I can still file a claim?
May 31st, 2009 at 6:46 am
I have been Celebrex since 1997 until present,due to back,and hip pain and other problems, I have not experienced any problems, other than the hassle of getting prescriptions filled and the high
prices for the drug.
Do I qualify for overcharge ?
May 31st, 2009 at 7:36 am
I took celebrex for almost 2yrs
can i file a claim (between 1999-2003)
and also took bextra but cannot remember the exact time
May 31st, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I started Celebrex August 2001. January 2002 I was hospitalized twice with chest discomfort.After the second hospitalization I discarded the Celebrex tablets. I incurred $2073.00 in out of pocket charges including the cost of Celebrex. Can I recover these expenses? I still have the paperwork.
June 1st, 2009 at 9:38 am
I have taken Celebrex for 12 years as it is effective to mitigate severe sciatic and osteoarthritic pain. Its price is an issue for my insurance company which charges me $100/90 + postage. Recently, I have experienced circulatory problems (for which I am being treated) that may be related to prolonged use of this Rx.
I believed claims that Celebrex was superior to other medications and that unintended side effects of Cox2 inhibitors (e.g. colon cancer suppression)might also be of benefit to me. I also understood that the bleeding risk for Celebrex was less than that for other NAISADs. If these claims are not true, then the $5000 I have spent on this medication has truly been a scam.
Meanwhile, the “number to call” directs me to the website, the website provides information about the foundation for the law suit and directs me to call one of two numbers, the voice at one number only provides information about the foundation for the law suit. The other number directs me to the website I just left. The only sites where I found potential registration information were either those sponsored by law firms (none in my area of the country)or “no longer active.” Is this a Catch-22 or an actual settlement for which elegible class members might register?
Am I eligible under the provisions of the suit? If so,where can I register without paying a fee to do so?
June 1st, 2009 at 11:43 am
What do I need to do as I took celebrex approximately from 2001 and developed heart condition in 2003. I was taking 1 pill a day.
June 1st, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I am still taking Celebrex and have since 2003. How can I file a claim?
Thanks,
Karen
June 1st, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I have been on Celebrex off and on sinse 1999 for arthitis. Never had any problems except the expenses. Can I file a claim?
June 1st, 2009 at 5:27 pm
I started taking Celebrex in May 1999 after knee surgery and continued through September 2006. Does this effect me?
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:46 am
IF YOU’VE HAD NO ADVERSE REACTIONS TO ANY OF THESE DRUGS YOU WILL NOT BE AWARDED STTLEMENT MONEY. DON’T BOTHER FILING IF YOU DIDN’T/HAVEN’T HAD A MAJOR CARDIAC EVENT WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF TAKING ANY ONE OF THESE MEDICATIONS.
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:33 am
I took celebrex but did not have bad adverse reactions. Am i entitled to any compensation and if so how do i go about recouping monies spent on this product?
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:33 pm
I was in the study for celebrex at Marshfield, WI. It was a double blind study. I learned at the end of the study that I was on Celebrex. I continued to use Celebrex for a long time until my doctor suggested a different medication for me. I had prescription drug coverage through Marathon County whom I worked for. Much of my medication was paid for; I made a co-payment. I am recently retired and again on Celebrex. I pay $100 out of pocket for it. Do I qualify for any sort of reimbursement???
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I was put on Bextra in about 1998. Then Bextra was pulled from the market and I was put on Celebrex. My doctor took me off Celebrex because my share of the drug was 100.00 dallors a month. He then put me on aa different drug until I had Heart failure. Now I am not on any drugs for pain.
My husband was on both Vioxx and Celebrex, but the drugs didn’t do him any good.
I would like to know if I could be put on the list.
June 4th, 2009 at 6:52 am
I took both Bextra and Celebrex and suffered from a mild stroke and an irregular heart beat. I would like to know how to be included in this lawsuit. Thanks
June 4th, 2009 at 6:56 am
I took Viox for several years then Celebrex for several years. On October 21,2006 i had a heart attack, fortunately with no damage. am i entitled to compensation?
June 4th, 2009 at 9:48 am
I took Celebrex from 1994-2004. Do I qualify for any financial compensation?
June 4th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I took Vioxx And I had a very bad experience .I knew my husband was talking to me but I could not answer or let him know that I needed help. I could not speak,move or anything. It was as if I was frozen in my chair.
June 5th, 2009 at 6:25 am
I have taken celebrex for many years and have had no adverse affects. However the cost is astronomical because my insurance will not pay for it. Am I entitled to compensation?
June 5th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Was on cellebrex from 1997 untill 2004 when we both developed gastric problems.
Other than cost and problems it did releive the pain.
June 5th, 2009 at 11:40 am
I took Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex. The vioxx caused a lot of swelling in my legs and ankles. My doctor took me off the bextra. Celebrex did not help the pain. Am I entitled to compensation?
June 5th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
My 89 year old father has been on Celebrex for 6 months. He was found unconscious and suffered from thrombosis in his digestive system and abscesses in the liver leaving him septic and close to death. He is recovering slowly. Would this type of problem be included in the class action suit?
June 6th, 2009 at 6:29 am
I have been taking celebrex since about 1999. I currantly am having no medical problems, but have an issue about the cost of the drug. How do I find out if I have been overcharged? And I am currantly still taking the medication. What if I have medical problems in the future?
June 6th, 2009 at 6:51 am
I have been on Celebrex since Bextra was taken off the market. Took Celebrex prior to this. I am still aon Celebrex.
Do I have a claim?
Maggie Gibson
SC
June 6th, 2009 at 8:27 am
I took Celecrex for several years before it was blask labeled. My insurance covered part of the cost but the rest was out of pocket. Am I entitled to compensation?
June 6th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I have been taking Celebrex for the past 15 years approximately, is the case still open for overcharges?
June 6th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I have been on Celebrex since it first came on the market, the only problems I’ve had since then, I lost one kidney and had 2 or 3 scan for heart they thought I was having troubles. Would I be included in the law suit?
thanks
June 7th, 2009 at 8:10 am
I have used celebrax since 1999, and I’m currantly not having any medical problems. I am still using it. How do I know if I have been overcharged for it. And what happpens if I have medical problems in the future?
June 7th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I was put on Bextra, then Bextra was pulled from the market. Then I was put on Celebrex, then Vioxx. My doctor took me off both Celebrex and Vioxx because my insurance would only cover $11.00 of the cost of the durg. And my share of the drug was 128.00 dallors a month. The Bextra,Celebrex and Vioxx were used for the pain in my lower back and left knee. The drugs didn’t do me any good and I still being treated for the pain. I would like to know how to be included in this lawsuit and how do I file a claim?. Thanks
June 7th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I have been taking Celebrex since 1997 . it has helped my back pain I still take it but not as much as before because of the cost. Do I qualifyfor any financial compensation
June 7th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I have been takinf Celebrex for about 10 years,and have had severe chest pains.I quite taking the drug because my insurance would not pick up the tab.So my Dr. has me on Meloxcam 15 mg.And this drug does nothing for my pain of Arthritis.I know when I was 42 yrs of age I had a heart attack.And it knocked me to my knees.I wonder if I am able to file a claim.
June 8th, 2009 at 4:38 am
My mother took celebrex for a time prior to 2005. How do I get her name on the lawsuit?
She has not pc so I am doing this for her.
Thanks,
Bob Eberhart
June 8th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I was on Celebrex for approximately 10 years. During this time I had a heart attck and had to have stents put in. After this I discontinued use of the product Celebrex.
June 8th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I was prescribed Celebrex for pain in 1999-2004. Am I considered eligible for a settlement.
June 10th, 2009 at 10:34 am
I took celebrax for about 10 years before
going to another medicine.I had no bad side effects from celebrax that I am aware
of.What is my position in this lawsuit.
June 11th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
I started taking Celebrex in late 2004 after my Doctor gave me a couple months supply of samples. I then purchased the medication through my health care provider. Am I due any refund from this law suit?
My husband (Glenn Gateley) has been using Celebrex for 5 years. In 2006 he under went by-pass surgery. Could this have been caused by the Celebrex and is he due any compensation?
Thank you.
June 11th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
I took both bextra and celebrx over the years. How do I finf out if I am eligble for reimbursement?
June 11th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
I took both bextra and celebrx over the years. How do I finf out if I am eligble for reimbursement?
June 13th, 2009 at 6:51 am
I have been taking celebrex for a while can you tell me if I could be included in the overcharge lawsuit. If so where do go from here.
June 14th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Can you file a claim for being overcharged for Celebrax expenses if you have not had an injury?
June 18th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I have taken celebrex for years and it has caused ulcers on my stomach. I would like to know how to get my name on this lawsuit.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I have taken celebrex since 1999 to 2000-01 can I file a claim for being over charge.
June 25th, 2009 at 8:12 am
I took celebrex for many years, but had no side effects from it. It was very expensive. Can I get settlement for being overcharged
June 29th, 2009 at 8:36 am
I have also taken Celebrex for many years with no side effects and wonder as well about the overcharge issue. It has always and still is very expensive, any help would be useful.
June 29th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
After being in a car accident my doctor scribed Bextra. When Bextra was taken of the market my doctor switched to Celebrex. I Took both medication for a few years and found that they were very expensive. Do I have a claim?
June 30th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I have taken celebrex for years. What more information do you need from me on this claim.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:28 pm
My elderly father is on DSS, and has been taking celebrex – who can we contact for information on processing a over charge claim.
September 28th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
I took bextra and celebrex until 2005. I have been tranceported to the hospital on several occasions by ambulance for shortness of breath and chestpain. I was diagonised with mytrovalveprolapse and i was wondering should i file a claim because i was taking vioxx. So please respong as soon as possible.
October 28th, 2009 at 8:04 am
I took vioxx for a long time, then celebrex in 2000 and still taking it for my pain. In 2000 my doctor said i have had a heart attack, just want to know if i still have a claim?
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:47 am
I started taking celebrex in 2004 but stop dec. 2004. But when the court said it was ok I start back from july 26 to aug.23,2005 then I died Aug.23,2005 my dath was not a heart attack or a strok it was from necrotizing pancreatitis this is one of the sid effect that is not been talk about, this will kill all of your good organ starting with your liver than your pancreatit getting in your blood stream killing everything. how do i know this my wife had a autopsy done on me and it say that celebrex was the cause of my death and all the doctor that worked on me. I am in the law suit with everyone but my lawyer and pfier don’t thing my life was worth too much money. I am telling everyone this if you have someone that died from ” necrotizing pancreatitis” and they did take celebrex, ask for an autopsy please. My husband is in a better place now.I won my case but you won’t see necrotizing pancreatitis on any paper. They went with heart attack or stroke but I want everyone to be looking out for necrotizing pancreatitis also.