One wonders if Pfizer's Celebrex will start getting the same class action attention as Merck's Vioxx. It seems that they are similar drugs with similar side effects:
Merck recalled Vioxx on Sept. 30 after a study found that a long-term use of the drug doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke. Both Celebrex and Vioxx belong to a class of drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors. They work by selectively blocking a protein called COX-2 that has been linked to inflammation.
Side effects are bad things that result from taking certain drugs. In this example the drugs make it more likely that someone will get a heart attack or stroke. Vioxx and Celebrex are both drugs.