Pfizer Inc. has recently reached a settlement for the legal claims against two of their products, Celebrex and Bextra. They will pay $894 million, avoiding litigation on many of the claims against these two painkillers for causing heart attacks and strokes.
There were about 8,000 lawsuits filed against Pfizer after Vioxx, a similar drug made by a competitor, was recalled for producing the same side effects in 2004. Pfizer pulled Bextra from the market in 2005 after it was found to cause a rare skin condition. Celebrex, however, remains on the market to this day and pulls in over $2.3 billion a year for the pharmaceutical company.
As part of the settlement, Pfizer is required to pay $60 million to 33 states and the District of Columbia for allegations of illegally promoting Bextra. They will also pay $89 million to cover consumer fraud lawsuits.
This settlement is considerably less than the $4.85 billion Merck paid to resolve their cases involving Vioxx.
Last November, a U.S. District Judge ruled that there wasn’t enough scientific evidence to prove that Celebrex led to heart attacks or strokes at a 200 milligram dosage, even though one study had already proven that a 400 milligram dosage triples your chance of heart attack and stroke. This ruling crippled the cases against Celebrex and paved the way for Pfizer to settle the Bextra cases.
The pharmaceutical company didn’t admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement.
If you have suffered an injury or illness as the result of a defective drug in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, please contact the law offices of Carr & Carr today for an initial consultation.
