Vioxx

Date Published: Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 The Vioxx trial that is ongoing in Australia has shed new light on the questionable tactics Merck & Co. used to market its dangerous painkiller. Now, according to The Australian, it seems Merck orchestrated “patient loyalty programs” that, publicly, seemed to be about increasing “quality of life.” Privately, reported The Australian, Merck was only seeking improved “patient compliance” and retention while doubling “sales potential.” Vioxx was approved for use in the U.S. in 1999, quickly becoming a blockbuster for Merck, with annual sales of $2.5 billion. Vioxx was pulled off the market in 2004 after an analysis of ... Read Full Story

Date Published: Thursday, May 21st, 2009 The ongoing Vioxx trial in Australia has just revealed that Merck, the maker of the controversial drug, paid so-called nurses to look through medical records in search of potential Vioxx patients, BNET reports. According to the Australian court, the nurses accessed patient records without obtaining physician permission in the hopes of garnering 100 patients per doctor, explained BNET. Patients were sought who were not taking, but were seen as potential candidates to take Vioxx, said BNET, citing The Australian. Vioxx was approved for use in the U.S. in 1999, and quickly became a blockbuster for Merck, with annual ... Read Full Story

Date Published: Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 The Vioxx trial that is ongoing in Australia and which has shed new light on the questionable tactics Merck & Co. used to market the dangerous painkiller has, said the Australian, involved a leading American cardiologist who testified that Vioxx played a “substantial contributing role” to the heart attack suffered by a 58-year-old Australian. Vioxx was approved for use in the U.S. in 1999 and quickly became a blockbuster for Merck, with annual sales of $2.5 billion. The painkiller was pulled off the market in 2004 after an analysis of patients using Vioxx linked the defective drug to ... Read Full Story

By LINDA A. JOHNSON AP Business Writer TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ Merck & Co. will start cutting checks for former users of its withdrawn painkiller Vioxx next month after announcing Thursday that it will fund a $4.85 billion settlement expected to resolve roughly 50,000 lawsuits. The decision marks the beginning of the end of the four-year legal saga, which began when cardiovascular side effects forced Merck to pull Vioxx off the market in 2004, triggering tens of thousands of lawsuits, sullying its once-spotless reputation and forcing out its then-chief executive. The Vioxx case has cost Merck at least $6.8 billion, including more than $1.53 ... Read Full Story

Researchers looked at 2,434 patients with stage 1 or stage 2 colorectal cancer, half of whom were taking 25 mg daily rofecoxib, sold under the brand name Vioxx. The patients were taking Vioxx for an average of just 7.4 months before the trial was suddenly early, because of worldwide warnings about the increased heart risk from Vioxx. An analysis of the trial found that of 23 heart & circulation problems that occurred during the study period, 16 happened while the patients were taking Vioxx or within two weeks of stopping treatment. This suggests an estimated risk for heart and circulation problems of 2.6 times ... Read Full Story