In order to survive in the increasingly lucrative and competitive phramaceutical business, big drug companies need to have several billion dollar “blockbuster” drugs on the market at any one time. This has forced many to market their products ever more aggressively—and to pay less attention to their potential risks. In the case of Merck’s painkiller, Vioxx, this had disastrous and lethal results. Critics estimate that 140,000 Americans suffered heart attacks and strokes as a result of taking the drug during the seven years it was on the market.
There have been numerous scandals involving drug companies in recent years, but what makes this case unique is that Merck, instead of settling compensation claims out of court to avoid negative publicity, decided to fight every case—and so we have over 20m legal documents, telling the warts-and-all story of Vioxx: what Merck’s staff were telling eachother, but not necessarily anyone else. Jim Giles reports.
Share
Comments
Print
Add Comment
Hello,
I used Vioxx for 18 months (roughly from May 2000 to October 2001). I immediately started having migraines. In June 2001 while riding a bike I had a quick TIA that nearly caused me to crash on a down hill. I had a minor stroke in September 2001, and a full-blown TIA in October 2001. I mentioned these events to my primary doctor, who said she’d schedule an MRI for November.
I’ve been lucky, as I keep physically active. Since then I’ve had to take five additional drugs for the CV issues. My MRIs show an improviing picture, but I still get migraines. The cause of them is a mystery, so I’ll have to be an SOB to find out why.
You just have to love American medicine!