Since its recall in 2004, the pain drug Vioxx has been a symbol of pharmaceutical danger, starring in countless daytime legal advertisements explaining how you, or perhaps a loved one, might be entitled to millions in settlement dollars. But one company believes the infamous drug deserves a second chance, and is plotting to resurrect the former blockbuster as a treatment for a rare, incurable condition.
Vioxx’s days as a widely used treatment for arthritis and chronic pain came to an end when studies revealed that it roughly doubled patients’ risk of heart attack and stroke, leading to an estimated 60,000 deaths. It was a public health disaster, and it led to a congressional investigation, allegations of lapses at the Food and Drug Administration, and agreement by the manufacturer, Merck, to pay a nearly $5 billion settlement.
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Clozapine is another drug taken off the market because of the danger of taking it, but has now made a comeback.
THAT KILLED MY MOTHER!!! SERIOUSLY, doctors are making pain patients suffer supposedly to save drug addicts lives but their willing to give people this again? This just disgusts me to the core! It further proves that they don’t care about stopping overdoses with opiods its all bullshit! This makes me sick! My mother took this and died!
Well it happened before – Thalidomide, one of the biggest stories of drugs to be found harmful, the one who brought on a revolution in drug safety and development regulations was re used for cancer treatment and then many derivatives. I think it is all a question of balancing risk and reword and rare disease is different then every joint pain
Isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing and expecting different results?
The lack of funding is understandable, when you make the simple observation that another COX-2 inhibitor – Celebrex – was never taken off the market, and is now available cheaply in generic form. Celecoxib’s GI bleeding profile is almost identical to that of Vioxx, making it an easy choice for hemophiliac patients. Why would anyone support another 7 year patent monopoly for old Vioxx? Certainly, no doctor who didn’t have a financial interest in Tremeau.
I saw documents where Vioxx executives laughed at Celebrex’ low-key, cautious marketing plans. Sadly, none of those executives went to jail. The hype machine at Tremeau reminds me more of Merck than the sly folks at Pfizer.
Agree. Celecoxib is an excellent and cheap alternative. No need to invest in a killer drug like Vioxx
This is exactly right. The efficacy of this drug was shown in a recent clinical trial:
Efficacy of celecoxib in the treatment of joint pain caused by advanced haemophilic arthropathy in adult patients with haemophilia A.
Haemophilia. 2014 May;20(3):e225-7. doi: 10.1111/hae.12393.
Just another one of the killer drugs or medications for which more harm is done than cure . more side effects .than positive results . The depth and degree of how much .pain . hurt . feeling of lost and the killing of thousands of Humans ,by Merck and Vioxx . in no way or manner should this death sentence be return to the market place for the use by the public . Merck was well aware as to how deadly and lethal Vioxx . yet still Merck hid these facts and information from the ..F.D. A . See or refer to The Wall Street Journal?s Article in a Report as to how Vioxx . was well aware of this before they submitted to The .F. D. A . for approval . for years ago . more to come .Trevor .Merchant Wednesday . October, 09 , 2019 at 4.00 p..m.. daylight savings time . New York City .
Trevor, your strange use of punctuation makes my head hurt.