Pfizer is asked to suspend sales of painkiller

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7496.862-a

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Jeanne Lenzer

New York

In a move that took experts by surprise, regulatory agencies in the United States and Europe have asked the drug maker Pfizer to suspend sales of its cyclooxygenase-2 (COX 2) inhibitor valdecoxib (Bextra).

The US Food and Drug Administration's move comes less than two months after an advisory panel recommended to the FDA that the drug remain on the market (BMJ 2005;330: 440, 26 Feb).

Pfizer said it …