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Vioxx Side Effects Were Known Four Years Ago Says U.K. Medical Journal

Merck should have been aware of Vioxx heart attack and stroke side effects at least four years ago. This shocking information was recently published in the Lancet and is based on 29 separate studies, which highlighted the risks for patients using Vioxx.

The report's conclusions were based on studies published in scientific journals as well as unpublished data from the United States Food and Drug Administration, which was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Merck issued a worldwide recall of Vioxx in late September.

The Lancet report criticized Merck's interpretation of an earlier study, which compared Vioxx to naproxen, also known as Alleve in the United States. While heart attacks were at least four times more frequent for Vioxx users than naproxen users, Merck claimed this was due to naproxen having a protective effect on the heart. But researchers said their work showed that there was no evidence of that naproxen had any beneficial effect on the heart.

The report also disputed Merck's claim that Vioxx heart attack risk was only associated people taking larger dosages for 18 months or more. However, the researchers showed that the risks of Vioxx were present irrespective of the dosage or period of use. Even small doses of Vioxx were associated with a risk of myocardial infarction.

Vioxx Recall Timeline
Documents May Show Merck Knew About Vioxx Side Effects