Judge Bars Some Celebrex Claims
A federal judge has ruled that there is not enough evidence to prove the painkiller Celebrex causes heart attacks or strokes at the most common dosage.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco ruled yesterday that the evidence linking a 200-milligram dose of the painkiller with such health problems was not scientifically reliable, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). The ruling could lead to dismissal of some lawsuits.
Plaintiffs’ lawyer Paul Sizemore of Los Angeles told the newspaper that about 900 of the more than 3,000 Celebrex cases involve patients prescribed a 200-milligram dose. However, some people took the painkiller, made by Pfizer Inc., twice a day.
“When does a 200-milligram case become a 400-milligram case?” he said. “We are going to have to review medical records and contact the clients to see what the actual usage was.”
