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threeplusfireBy THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 30, 2004
NEW YORK (AP) -- Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. is pulling its blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx from the market worldwide because new data from a clinical trial found an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Whitehouse Station-based Merck said Thursday that data from the trial showed the increased risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular complications began 18 months after patients started taking Vioxx.
The data comes from a three-year study aimed at showing that Vioxx at a 25 milligram dose prevents recurrence of polyps in the colon and rectum. The trial was stopped after Merck discovered the higher heart risk compared to patients taking dummy pills.
"We're taking this action because we believe it best serves the interest of patients," Ray V. Gilmartin, Merck's chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement.
"Although we believe it would have been possible to continue to market Vioxx with labeling that would incorporate these new data, given the availability of alternative therapies and the questions raised by the data, we concluded that a voluntary withdrawal is the responsible course to take," he said.
Merck, the world's third-biggest drugmaker, announced the news before the stock market opened. It scheduled a 9 a.m. news conference in New York to discuss the information.
Vioxx is one of Merck's most important drugs, with $2.5 billion in sales in 2003. But sales dipped 18 percent in the second quarter of this year to $653 million.
Merck is scheduled to release financial results for the third quarter, which ends today, on Oct. 21
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While I know the amount of Vioxx I've taken is small, I still want to go home and flush whatever is left in my apartment.
On the brighter side, I've cut my smoking enormously. Down to less than five a day, unless I end up playing cards or drinking. Still, it's quite a lot less than I have been smoking. I enjoy smoking, but I need to do it less.
Published: September 30, 2004
NEW YORK (AP) -- Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. is pulling its blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx from the market worldwide because new data from a clinical trial found an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Whitehouse Station-based Merck said Thursday that data from the trial showed the increased risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular complications began 18 months after patients started taking Vioxx.
The data comes from a three-year study aimed at showing that Vioxx at a 25 milligram dose prevents recurrence of polyps in the colon and rectum. The trial was stopped after Merck discovered the higher heart risk compared to patients taking dummy pills.
"We're taking this action because we believe it best serves the interest of patients," Ray V. Gilmartin, Merck's chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement.
"Although we believe it would have been possible to continue to market Vioxx with labeling that would incorporate these new data, given the availability of alternative therapies and the questions raised by the data, we concluded that a voluntary withdrawal is the responsible course to take," he said.
Merck, the world's third-biggest drugmaker, announced the news before the stock market opened. It scheduled a 9 a.m. news conference in New York to discuss the information.
Vioxx is one of Merck's most important drugs, with $2.5 billion in sales in 2003. But sales dipped 18 percent in the second quarter of this year to $653 million.
Merck is scheduled to release financial results for the third quarter, which ends today, on Oct. 21
---
While I know the amount of Vioxx I've taken is small, I still want to go home and flush whatever is left in my apartment.
On the brighter side, I've cut my smoking enormously. Down to less than five a day, unless I end up playing cards or drinking. Still, it's quite a lot less than I have been smoking. I enjoy smoking, but I need to do it less.
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no subject
Date: 2004-09-30 09:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-30 09:25 am (UTC)just put it in its container and throw it awy
no subject
Date: 2004-09-30 01:39 pm (UTC)