The FDA approved Bextra on November 16, 2001 for joint pain of osteoarthritis and adult rheumatoid arthritis, and painful menstrual cramps. It was created by Pfizer, Inc. as a supposedly replacement for Pfizer's other pain relieving drug, Celebrex. The use of Bextra has grown, and culminated with Bextra becoming the number 51 ranked prescribed medication with sales of just over $900 million in 2003, and forecasted sales of $1.5 billion in 2005.

Bextra is a member of the cox-2 inhibitor family of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) along with Vioxx and Celebrex. It is thought cox-2 inhibitors such as Bextra will help lower the risk of gastrointestinal ulcers and bleeding than other traditional NSAIDs such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Recently, the cox-2 inhibitor family has come under attack with finding that they increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. On November 10, 2004, only three years after the FDA first approved it, Bextra was found to increase the risk for heart attacks and stroke, and it was found linked to potentially fatal skin disease. The FDA announced that a "boxed" warning, strengthening previous warnings about the risk of life-threatening skin reactions and a new bolded warning contraindicating the use of Bextra in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery will be added to the label. Finally, on April 7, 2005 Pfizer pulled Bextra off the market due to the increased risks of heart attacks and pressure from the FDA to do so.

Bextra users are strongly urged to speak with their doctors about their past use and to be placed on a new medication. If you are currently using Bextra, or have used Bextra in the past, be sure to get the Bextra information you need in order to know the risks Bextra placed upon your health. Call 877-DRUG-INJURY to speak with an experienced Bextra attorney free of charge who can help you sort through your Bextra questions decide if you have a Bextra claim.