Pfizer has released more information about Bextra. Since 2002, the Bextra product label has included information regarding the risk of a very rare but serious skin reaction. The risk exists with Bextra primarily within the first two weeks of therapy and though rare, at a reported rate greater than other COX-2 products, such as Celebrex. Pfizer also reviewed cardiovascular data, analyzing a comprehensive clinical trial database of nearly 8,000 patients treated with Bextra for durations ranging from six to 52 weeks, and concluded there is no increased risk of cardiovascular thromboembolic events in people treated for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Finally, Pfizer reported that in two trials of a high-risk surgery known as coronary artery bypass graft, an increase in cardiovascular events was observed in patients receiving Bextra alone or in combination with parecoxib (an IV formula coxib). Pfizer maintains Bextra is an important treatment option for patients with chronic osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis but that doctors need this information to be able to weigh benefits vs. risks in each patient's case. Read the press release from Pfizer about Bextra.