Zilch Chuck. Big pharmas, as a conspiracy theory, may control us more than what some think.
Upper Endoscopy is to follow tomorrow.
More:
"Concerns about the safety of Celebrex and Bextra began to mount following the release of medical studies in late 2004, when rival Merck & Co withdrew its own Vioxx drug from the market because of associated cardiovascular risks."
U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in New York concluded yesterday that shareholders can proceed with claims that Pfizer officials made misleading statements about the safety of Celebrex and Bextra. Stockholders allege Pfizer executives deliberately hid or misrepresented the results of studies that suggested the drugs may have adverse cardiovascular effects.
The judge said “factual issues” precluded her from throwing out investors’ claims “on the issue of whether there were material misstatements or omissions.” She threw out shareholders’ claims on other issues.
The decision clears the way for the shareholder suits, which have been combined into a class-action case, to go to trial. Celebrex, with almost $2.5 billion in annual sales, is one of Pfizer’s best-selling medicines. Pfizer officials pulled Bextra off the market in 2005 after it was linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and a rare skin condition.
