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Considers the legal ramifications of Pfizer Inc.'s disclosure on December 17, 2004, that patients in a cancer study who used the company's painkiller Celebrex had a heightened incidence of heart attacks. Pfizer's continued belief in the safety of Celebrex; Other cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) drugs that have encountered safety problems; Lawyers' opinions on whether Celebrex will be caught up in the litigation involving COX-2 drugs.

Comments on Pfizer Inc.'s announcement of the results of a government-sponsored clinical trial showing that its arthritis drug Celebrex more than doubled or tripled the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular deaths, depending on the dosage. Need for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to step in to reduce the dangers of drugs already in the market; Presumed advantage of the class of drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors; Pfizer's decision not to pull Celebrex off the market.

Reports on the withdrawal of Merck's drug, Vioxx, an anti-inflammatory belonging to the class called cox-2 inhibitors, from the market. Therapeutic uses of the painkiller; Alternative pain medications; Author of "Power Medicines: The Benefits, Risks and Costs of Prescription Drugs," Jerry Avon's recommendation for patients to ask their doctors on benefits of new drugs over existing medications.

Looks at how a recent court ruling that found the drug maker Merck & Co. Inc. liable in the death of a patient will affect the sale of painkillers and the pharmaceutical industry at-large. Author's view that the jury's decision dealt another blow to the battered class of arthritis painkillers known as cox-2s; Review of the withdrawal of cox-2 painkillers from the market; Review of how the pharmaceutical industry is betting on a cox-2 comeback; Increase in sales of the drug Celebrex, the only remaining cox-2 drug on the market.

The article reports on a lawsuit filed against Pfizer Inc. by Brigham Young University and on of its professors, Daniel L. Simmons. Simmons had developed the Cox-2 enzyme which led to the production of the drug Celebrex by Pfizer. When he did some research at a lab acquired by the company, a deal was struck that the company would notify the school if any profitable drug was developed from his research. Bryant Haskins, a Pfizer spokesman, said that Simmons played no role in the development of Celebrex.

Reports on the decision of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reject the application of Pfizer Inc. for an injectable pain reliever called Dynastat, a member of the Cox-2 class of drugs, as of September 2005.

Reports on the reconfirmation of the suspension of the cyclooxygenase 2 drug Bextra by the European Medicines Agency.

Presents views of pain management experts following a panel's conclusion that drugs Celebrex, Vioxx and Bextra should remain on the market. View that the drugs will be prescribed less readily, for a smaller group of patients, at lower doses and for shorter periods; Relief of doctors that they will still have the drugs at their disposal; Background on the panel's warnings; Recommendation of the panel that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration place new warnings on the drugs' labels; Benefits and risks of the drugs to some patients; Comments of physicians; Importance of evaluating patients' risks of heart problems; Background on the class of drugs known as cox-2 inhibitors; Outlook. INSET: Fighting Pain, Carefully.

Focuses on the controversy over the safety of some cox-2 inhibitors. Number of experts who agreed that the two cox-2 drugs, Celebrex and Bextra, all raise the risk of heart attack or stroke in some patients; Discussion of the underlying problems with Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx; Presumed advantages of cox-2 drugs.

Suggests that Wall Street analysts and lawyers will be watching testimony by and about Merck, which pulled its cox-2 drug Vioxx off the market, citing its safety risks. Hearings by federal drug regulators on Pfizer, which also made cox-2 drugs; How Merck is facing hundreds of lawsuits over Vioxx; Expectation that hearings by an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will include testimony about how Merck and the FDA dealt with safety concerns; Observation that Merck's critics warned for years that Vioxx posed cardiac risk; Decision of Pfizer to keep both its pain reliever drugs on the market; Pressures on Pfizer; Details of Merck's case; Views of analysts; Merck's estimated total liabilities.

Highlights various upcoming events in the U.S. Impending sentence to be given to Paul R. Shanley, a former priest who was convicted earlier of raping and assaulting a young boy; Further regulatory scrutiny of COX-2 inhibitors that includes Celebrex, Bextra, and Vioxx; Anticipation for the swimwear special of the magazine "Sports Illustrated."

Reports that many former Vioxx takers say alternatives to the drug are either substandard in pain relief or carry other dangers. Wish of some that the information on Vioxx had been made public at the beginning so they could make their own decision about taking the drug; The complexities of weighing risk of side effects from the benefits of the medication; Example of one patient and his search for a working alternative drug.

Focuses on the development and promotion of pain relievers, the so-called COX-2 inhibitors. Popularity of these prescription drugs with arthritis and rheumatism patients; Risks that have been disclosed by Pfizer and Merck; History of the COX-2 drugs; Why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is finding it difficult to monitor the safety of the drugs after approval for the market; Promotion of Celebrex by Pfizer and Merck's drug Vioxx; Clinical evidence that the COX-2 drugs on the market can increase the likelihood of strokes or heart attacks; Insistence of Pfizer and Merck that their marketing has been accurate and responsible; Overview of studies involving the pain relief drugs; Views of medical experts; Outlook; Suggestion that consumer marketing forces propel the drug industry. INSET: Comparing Two of the Celebrex Studies.

Examines the recall of the arthritis drug Vioxx from the market by Merck. Reasons for the withdrawal which was increased heart attacks and strokes in patients taking the drug; Reaction of rival Pfizer which says it is looking to see if its drug, Celebrex, prevents heart attacks; Reasons why Pfizer is trying to distance itself from Merck; Question if the risk factors for serious cardiovascular events from Vioxx are a problem for the entire class of drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors; Possibility for a delay in acceptance of new drugs of this class; Comments from Daniel Soloman at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston on prescribing different brands; Reaction of the stock market to Vioxx's removal from the market.