Merck Vioxx side effects

The FDA approved this selective cyclooxigenase (COX)-2 inhibitor (Vioxx) for the treatment of pain and inflammation in 1999. This NSAID demonstrated to have a lower risk of side effects such as gastrointestinal ulcers and bleeding than nonse-lective COX inhibitors, for example, ibuprofen. In 2004, a long-term study of Vioxx in patients at increased risk of colon polyps was halted because of an increased cardiovascular risk (heart attack, stroke) in the rofecoxib group. Subsequently, Merck withdrew the drug from the world market at the end of September 2004 [46]. 

Vioxx, a drug with 1.8 billion US sales in 2003, which was specificaUy designed to target only a cox-2, has been withdrawn by Merck and Co. after it was reported that some patients had died from side effects. A few individuals sued Merck Co. for hundreds of millions of dollars— hundreds of times what Merck Co. invested in INBio. 

Merck is to spend 675 million on legal fees to defend itself against writs from patients who suffered side-effects from the arthritis drug Vioxx. Pfizer defends and continues promoting Celebrex (its own Vioxx) for current use and for potential new uses in cancer trials. ... 

Recently, medicinal chemists have devised a number of drugs that act as selective inhibitors of the COX-2 enzyme. Inflammation is thereby controlled without harmful side effects. Celecoxib, introduced by Monsanto under the name Celebrex, and rofecoxib, introduced by Merck under the name Vioxx, appear poised to revolutionize the medical treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. 

Vioxx, the Merck blockbuster drug, was withdrawn from the market for the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects. 

The second drug, which was marketed almost at the same time by Merck, was rofecoxib (Viox ). Within a few years, Vioxx became the company s product with the highest sales revenue, amounting to 2.6 billion US dollars. However, Merck had to with draw the drug from the market unexpectedly in 2004, because of serious side-effects, like increased risk of heart attacks, unstable Angina pectoris and strokes. 

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