Contact:
Clayton Berry
Phone: 314.977.7117
berrycl@slu.edu

December 17, 2004

ST. LOUIS -- Today Pfizer Inc. announced that it has found an increased risk of heart problems in patients taking its painkiller Celebrex. The drug is in the same class as Vioxx, which was pulled from the market earlier this fall because of safety concerns.

One of the nation’s leading health law experts is available today to discuss the fallout from this announcement. He also is available to offer his legal expertise as the story unfolds.

Saint Louis University law professor Jesse Goldner, J.D., is a founding member and former director of the University’s renowned Center for Health Law Studies, the nation’s leading program of its kind according to U.S. & World Report.

“This could increase pressure on the government to do something different with the FDA,” Goldner says. “It also could lead to the same flurry of legal activity that we saw with Vioxx.”

Merck & Co. pulled Vioxx from the market Sept. 30 after a study indicated it doubled the risk of heart attacks and stroke when taken for longer than 18 months. The company now is engulfed in lawsuits.

To arrange an interview with Professor Goldner, call Clayton Berry at (314) 977-7117 or page him at (314) 460-4200.

Goldner has been in the health law field for 25 years and recently received the 2004 Jay Healey Distinguished Health Law Teacher Award from the American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics.

Established in 1982, the Center for Health Law Studies in the Saint Louis University School of Law features internationally recognized faculty members, who, in addition to teaching the health law curriculum, author leading treatises and casebooks, publish award-winning law review articles and are often quoted on health law issues by the nation’s leading news outlets.

Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of 11,000 students on campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Through teaching, research, health care and community service, Saint Louis University is the place where knowledge touches lives. Learn more about SLU at www.slu.edu.