Kaiser Permanente, the largest HMO in the United States has banned the dispensing of the drug Bextra due to health concerns. It is the first time an HMO has ever banned a drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Bextra belongs to a family of drugs known as Cox-2 inhibitors, which are used to treat arthritis. Other Cox-2 inhibitors include the drugs Celebrex and Vioxx, which were withdrawn from the market in September 2004 due to health risks.
A clinical trial showed Vioxx to double the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Another study indicated Vioxx was responsible for 88,000 to 140,000 heart attacks among patients in the U.S. that were taking the drug. Forty percent likely died.
