Judge Brier has just ruled in the Celebrex cases that the 200 milligram daily dosage
that was common for Celebrex has not been scientifically shown to cause heart attacks and strokes. You may recall that Celebrex is the Cox-2 inhibitor drug just like Vioxx that has
been subject to allegations that its use causes heart attacks and strokes, very much like Vioxx.
This may sound like very good news for the Pfizer company that made the drug but many people were prescribed more than the 200 milligram daily dose.
The Judge’s ruling comes after months of legal battles regarding expert testimony that will be allowed in the Celebrex cases. Significantly Pfizer did not even move to exclude expert testimony that Celebrex is capable of causing heart attacks and strokes when a patient ingests 800 milligrams per day. There have been arguments, though, over how long someone would need to take this drug in order to have the adverse affects.
Despite hearing testimony from three experts that 200 milligram dosages were also capable of causing heart attacks and strokes, Judge Brier ruled that those opinions were not based upon good science. Judge Brier cited to the lack of randomized control trials involving this dosage. No word yet on whether Judge Brier wants the scientists to go forward with studies and give people the 200 milligram dosage under controlled conditions to see if they get a heart attack.
For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Drugs, Medical Devices, and Implants.
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