Beasley Allen law firm in Montgomery, Alabama believes that Pfizer's Bextra, another COX-2 inhibitor, posed a dual danger to thousands of consumers before its withdrawal last week.

One of the most popular in the COX-2 class, Vioxx - used by tens of millions of people worldwide - was pulled off the market last October. This decision came shortly after medical conference where FDA researcher David Graham showed higher doses of Vioxx correlated with a tripled risk of heart attack or sudden cardiac death compared to people who weren't taking any similar drug.

The Vioxx pills that an Alabama widow claims caused her husband's death Sept. 4, 2001, were not on the market until a half year later.

Mobile cases among hundreds sent to federal judge in New Orleans for pretrial discover

The first court case to be heard against the makers of the arthritis painkiller Vioxx will open in Clay County next month, and Montgomery trial lawyer Jere Beasley said his firm will have several hundred more after that.

Doctors and pharmacist in the tri-county area expect a wave of anxiety to crash over their patients once they learn Pfizer Inc. pulled its popular arthritis painkiller Bextra off the market Thursday. A Montgomery lawyer said his lawsuit caseload against he drug manufacturer will grow larger.

The Federal Vioxx cases took a major step forward on Friday when U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon selected a plaintiffs steering committee that includes an Alabama lawyer as co-lead counsel.

The Federal Vioxx cases took a major step forward on Friday when U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon selected a plaintiffs steering committee that includes an Alabama lawyer as co-lead counsel.

In a pretrial order issued today, Judge Fallon of the United States District Court in Louisiana appointed Mr. Birchfield of Beasley Allen as co-lead counsel with regard to pending Vioxx products liability litigation.

Bextra and Celebrex belong to a class of drugs called COX-2 inhibitors that also includes Merck & Co.'s Vioxx, which was voluntarily withdrawn by the company last year after it was shown to increase the risk of stroke and heart attack.