Bextra Suspension

The FDA and European regulators agreed that Bextra's risks outweigh its benefits. Both groups asked drug maker, Pfizer Inc. to remove Bextra from the market.

The FDA asked Pfizer to add a "black box" warning to the label of its painkiller Celebrex. Bextra and Celebrex are in a class of drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors that also includes Vioxx, which was pulled last year because of an increased risk of stroke and heart attack.

The FDA singled out Bextra for suspension because it gives no added advantage as a painkiller and can cause a potentially life-threatening skin condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a reaction that usually begins as a blistering of the mouth and lips and can spread to to the rest of the body.