Brown & Crouppen file Bextra suit in St. Clair County

Pfizer's recalled prescription medication Bextra is the subject of another lawsuit filed in St. Clair County.

William Crowley sued Dec. 15, seeking damages for personal injuries and economic damages he allegedly suffered.

Represented by John Driscoll of Brown & Crouppen in St. Louis, Crowley claims he suffered a heart attack when he was 62-years-old, and claims that it was caused by taking Bextra.

According to Crowley, he was taking Bextra for 12 months prior to his heart attack.

Bextra is a Cox-2 inhibitor and was approved by the FDA on Nov. 16, 2001, for the relief of symptoms of osteoarthritis and adult rheumatoid arthritis.

On April 7, 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested that Pfizer suspend sales of Bextra in the U.S.

Crowley claims Bextra was defectively designed, inadequately tested, dangerous to human health and lacked proper warnings as to the dangers associated with its use.

"Bextra, negatively and detrimentally affected Crowley's cardiovascular systems gradually over time and duration," the complaint states.

According to the complaint, at the time Bextra was sold to the plaintiffs it was defective in design and unreasonably dangerous, subjecting users to risks of heart attacks, strokes, and other illnesses which exceeded the benefits of the product when safer products where available.

Crowley also claims that Pfizer failed to perform adequate testing and study of Bextra prior to marketing it or ignored existing data which would have allegedly shown the drug to possess serious life threatening side effects.

He also claims that the drug did not come with proper warnings regarding adverse side effects associated with its use and the comparative severity and duration of the side effects.

According to the complaint, Pfizer actually knew of the defective nature of its product, yet continued to design, manufacture, market, distribute and sell it to maximize sales and profits at the expense of the general public's health and safety.

Crowley is seeking a judgment against Pfizer in excess of $50,000, costs, attorneys' fees, and other relief that the court deems just and proper.

Crowley is seeking a jury trial for four of the five counts. A count of Statutory Consumer Fraud is to be tried by the bench.

05 L 727 (20th Circuit)