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California based Kaiser Permanente, the largest HMO in the United States, has banned Pfizer Inc.''s Bextra because of "an issue of patient safety," according Beverly Hayon, a spokeswoman for Kaiser.
Kaiser ordered its pharmacies to stop dispensing Bextra after some tests have shown an increased risk of heart attack. Bextra is part of a family of drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors, the same class of drug as Pfizer''s other controversial arthritis painkiller Celebrex. Studies have also linked the use of Celebrex to heart attacks.
This is the first time the HMO has refused to dispense a drug approved by the FDA. The ban started last week in its pharmacies, and new prescriptions will stop on Tuesday and refills will end March 1. Kaiser will not dispense Bextra for at least six months unless the FDA or Pfizer is able to provide adequate safety evidence.
Kaiser has more than nine million patients.
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