Merck's Vioxx is making headlines after a new study from NEJM
Merck's former billion dollar baby, Vioxx, arthritis Medicine, is still making headlines, despite having been pulled off the market for several years. A recent 2,434-patient study, published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, finds that increased heart risk begins much earlier than after 18 months of use, as previously indicated by the drug maker. Of course, Merck is denying the relevancy of this study. According to Merck, the study is not conclusive.
There are over 27,000 lawsuits against Merck from people who claim to have been harmed by the drug. I wonder if this new study will impact these lawsuits or not. A few months ago, a jury awarded a man $47.5 million verdict against Merck for Vioxx, finding it responsible for his heart attack. The replacement for Vioxx, ARCOXIA, was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Arthritis Advisory Committee. They voted against recommending approval of ARCOXIA® (etoricoxib) for the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis in the United States. ARCOXIA has been under review by the FDA as an investigational selective COX-2 inhibitor since the New Drug Application (NDA) was submitted in December 2003 and is currently available in 63 countries. On a more positive note, Merck's stock is doing great.The stock closed at $53.38, this is an increase over prior trading. There must be promising new drugs in the pipeline that are keeping everyone optimistic and hopeful.
Time will tell. Let's see if if the former billion dollar baby, Vioxx, will continue to make headlines.
Click here to read more on Vioxx from Reuters or the New York Times.
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