Cardiologist Accuses Merck Cardiologist Accuses MerckOf Vioxx 'Misconduct'

HOUSTON -- A prominent cardiologist told a government official that Merck & Co. had engaged in "scientific misconduct" in its handling of its Vioxx painkiller, according to evidence presented in a federal trial here.

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Under questioning, Dr. Topol described how he concluded Vioxx increases heart-attack risks in a study he published in August 2001 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Prior to publishing, Dr. Topol sent Merck a draft of his paper. He testified Merck scientists visited him in Cleveland to tell him he "got it wrong" and would be "embarrassed" if his paper were to appear.

Dr. Topol challenged Merck's explanation for the results of a 2000 study that compared Vioxx with naproxen, an older painkiller, in which patients on Vioxx had four to five times as many heart attacks. Merck had concluded naproxen worked to protect the heart, but Dr. Topol said "the only appropriate conclusion" was that Vioxx had a problem.

Following the withdrawal of Vioxx, Dr. Topol sent an email to David Graham, a Food and Drug Administration official, that said he was "bothered" by Merck's "scientific misconduct," which he felt didn't receive adequate attention.



http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113365948152113429.html?mod=us_

Dr. Abramson is an award-winning family doctor, on the clinical faculty at Harvard Medical School, and author of the book "Overdosed America."

Here's his commentary:
October 02, 2004
The news about Vioxx is that it's not news
Vioxx was recalled by Merck because its most recent study shows that it doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease. The real news is that this was shown four years ago in Merck's large study of the safety of Vioxx.

The disparities between the articles published in 2000 in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association about Vioxx and Celebrex, respectively, and the manufacturers' own research data are described in Chapter 3 of Overdosed America.

This is a link to a short version of my thoughts as presented on NPR's All Things Considered story about the Vioxx recall: NPR : Merck Pulls Arthritis Drug Vioxx from Market.
http://www.overdosedamerica.com/2004/10/_the_news_about.html

A prescription drug that was promoted by a billion a year in advertising.
Only to find out that it was worse than the drugs it replaced, and it killed 180,000.

To top it off, the Bush administration wants to bar products litigation, at least as to medical device and drug makers, AND it wants to stop medical malpractice litigation.

This country is insane.
Luckily, some sane, honest and ethical people still exist, like this brave doc who decided to tell the truth. Imagine the pressure brought on him by Merck.

and had a stroke 2 months later.
Coincidence?

none since her doc took her off it a few years ago. her doc reads alot, and knew about the studies in question. he came to the conclusion it was dangerous.

And died of heart failure in April at the age of 47.

Coincidence?

I hate these greedy bastards with a white-hot heat. They're killing us and our government doesn't give a damn...

I took it too, but I was one of the lucky ones. To my knowledge, I had no effects.

I really don't know if there are long-term effects. I was told by a doctor there aren't, but those were the same people who prescribed it.

Curiously, one of the debates I had with that particular clinic was over the safety and efficacy of drugs. I wanted to explore non-drug alternatives whenever possible. For some reason though, I had come to the conclusion that vioxx was safe, sort of like aspirin. Ironic, huh?

I am okay now, but I have lost a lot of things I used to rely on, like memory and balance. Plus, now I have dyslexia.
I was questioning why Kaiser was giving it out like candy for any ache and pain, not just arthritis, and plugging it as a "safe" alternative to other therapies.