Following the recent revelations that Vioxx cause a high incidence of heart attacks and strokes, a competing drug from Pfizer, Bextra, has now been shown to display similar health problems. What's especially weighty about this particular revelation is that it comes from the American Heart Association, a disease-industry group that has traditionally acted in favor of pharmaceutical companies. Because of this, the AHA deserves credit for allowing this study to be published.
In the preliminary results, Bextra was found to increase the incidence of heart attacks and strokes by 219%. The cardiologist who presented the study, Dr. Garret Fitzgerald, called Bextra, "A time bomb waiting to go off," and noted that the apparent dangers of Bextra exceed those associated with Vioxx.
Pfizer, of course, downplayed the study in an attempt to minimize any negative backlash from its release. The question remains, however: will Pfizer now follow in Merck's footsteps and voluntarily recall Bextra? And if it refuses to do so, will the FDA step in and finally perform the regulatory function it has been so reluctant to use by banning Bextra from the market? Or will this warning be swept aside in favor of a policy that allows this drug to continue to be sold to tens of millions of Americans, regardless of its questionable safety?
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In mid 2010, Adams produced NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Wednesday, November 10, 2004
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