Bextra is a drug that belongs to the class of drugs called Cox-2 inhibitors, together with other medications, like Vioxx. It is god to know that Vioxx was withdrawn from the market because studies revealed it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who took it for more than 18 months.



A researcher said that it is possible that a doubled risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke to appear in patients that are taking Bextra.

The Bextra's manufacturer response was that there was made a recent study among arthritis patients taking Bextra, and there weren't found any cardiovascular problems.

Bextra's producer also replied that the accuses are unsubstantiated and irrelevant, so they must not be taken into serious, using the drug does not expose the patient to risks.

Although Pfizzer, Bextra's manufacturer said the drug doesn't cause any problems, finally, it was admitted that it develops increased risk of heart attack and stroke among coronary bypass patients. But Pfizzer didn't acknowledge that other categories of patients may develop increased risk too.

Some recent studies got to the conclusion that Bextra increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.In this study, 5,930 patients took Bextra while 1,841 took a placebo. It was found that there were 45 heart attacks and strokes among patients taking Bextra, while there were only 7 in the placebo group. The conclusion was that if a patient uses Bextra, the risk of heart attacks and strokes is approximately 2.2 times higher than if he doesn't take that drug.

The researcher that initiated that study, did not public his findings in a peer-reviewed journal yet, but he wanted to prevent the patients that are taking Bextra, to inform them about the increased risks that can appear. The researcher also mentioned that he advises the patients at risk of heart attack and stroke to stop taking Cox-2 medications, while the low-risk patients should take these medications only with great caution.

As part in the same family of Cox-2 inhibitors we can mention Vioxx and Celebrex . When Vioxx was recalled from the market, there appeared mistrust in Cox-2 inhibitors.

It is known that these drugs are risky. It is recommended the patient to ask the doctor to find out exactly what risks can occur. There must be put in balance the risks and the benefits Bextra brings, especially that there are researchers that say using Bextra can be really dangerous. The patient must put the problem in this way: does it worth to risk, does the drug bring me enough benefits? However, the patient must be very careful, he must go to the doctor as soon as he experiences any symptoms that may be caused by the drug.