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Regarding Vioxx side effects , Eric J Topol, MD, chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, published a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2001 that "Vioxx significantly increased the risk of heart attack." Merck's response was that the JAMA report was "flawed."
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Vioxx Lawsuit Information. Heart Attack And Stroke Side Effects Prompt Merck Recall: Vioxx Recall News
MERCK APPEARS TO HAVE KNOWN OF DANGER EARLIER THAN THOUGHT. Merck & Co., Inc., knew of problems with its blockbuster painkiller Vioxx long before the drug was pulled from the market in September due to newer studies that linked the medication to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
The newspaper cited internal company e-mails, marketing materials, and interviews with outside scientists. It said as early as the mid-to-late 1990s, the company worried that Vioxx's heart risk appeared to be much greater than that of older, cheaper painkillers that had a reputation for being tougher on the stomach, the Journal reported.
See full story at http://www.healthcentral.com/news/NewsFullText.cfm?id=1505142.
FDA STUDY ESTIMATES VIOXX LINKED TO 27,000
HEART ATTACKS. A study led by a Food and Drug Administration
safety official projects that the widespread use of Vioxx may have led
to more than 27,000 heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths before the
drug's abrupt withdrawal last week by Merck & Co. (MRK), according
to an October 6, 2004 Wall Street Journal report.
CNN Money, October 6,
2004.
RISK GREATER FOR THOSE WITH HEART CONDITIONS.
Dr. Topol warned that the risk of heart attack "may be greatly underestimated"
because "Merck's trial did not include anyone with known heart disease
- patients who might be expected to have the highest risk."
New York Times,
October 2, 2004.
MERCK'S CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
Dr. Topol said that "despite studies showing the magnitude of the
public health problem, for several years Merck did nothing to
investigate. This surely represents a conflict between the interests
of the public and the interests of the company. Instead of doing the requisite
research in patients with heart disease - who frequently have arthritis
as well and are thus prime users of anti-inflammatory medicines - the
company undertook studies that avoided them. At the same time Merck spent
at least $100 million a year for direct-to-consumer Vioxx
advertising, while the company's employees and their consultants published
several papers in medical journals rebutting studies reporting Vioxx's
heart attack risk."
New York Times,
October 2, 2004.
MERCK FORCED TO TAKE ACTION.
Merck only took Vioxx off the market after an outside
panel of experts overseeing a clinical trial of Vioxx
told the company "to halt the trial and immediately stop patients
from taking the drug." Wall Street Journal, October 1, 2004. "The
decision to withdraw Vioxx was based on data from a big
three-year clinical trial" which concluded that "people who
took Vioxx for more than 18 months were twice as likely
to have a heart attack or stroke during
the study."
Wall Street Journal,
October 1, 2004.
SHORT TERM USE DANGEROUS.
A joint study by the Kaiser Permanente Medical Foundation and the FDA
reported a tripling of heart attack risk among patients
who took double the standard 25 mg. dose. Dr. David Campen, a Santa Clara
rheumatologist who led the study for Kaiser, said "the higher risk
for heart attack was spotted among patients who were
just starting on Vioxx, as well as those who had taken
it for long periods of time."
San Francisco Chronicle,
October 1, 2004.
If you or someone close to you has suffered a heart attack, stroke or similar serious injury* after prolonged use of Vioxx, you are urged to contact the law offices of Alexander Hawes, LLP at 800.921.1776 to speak to an attorney. The call is free, and there is no obligation. You may also email us (your privacy is assured). Act now, as delays can harm your case.
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