Vioxx Related to Heart Side Effects

Early Studies Showed Safety Concerns

Throughout its five years on the market, Vioxx has been plagued with controversy over safety concerns. In August 2001, a study at the Cleveland Clinic was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, during which existing heart attack risk data was re-analyzed. Some of the data came from earlier studies called the Vioxx Gastrointestinal Outcomes Research study, or VIGOR, and Celecoxib Long-Term Arthritis Study, or CLASS. The Cleveland Clinic doctors concluded that both earlier studies indicated an increased risk of heart attack associated with taking Vioxx.

The heart attack risk, according to Dr. Steven Nissen at the Cleveland Clinic, doubles for patients taking Vioxx when compared to patients taking older anti-inflammatories. Following publication of their results, Merck said it would conduct a big study testing Vioxx's heart safety, but the study never happened.

In September 2004, Dr. Eric J. Topol, the head of cardiology and chief academic officer at the Cleveland Clinic said Merck's decision to withdraw Vioxx from the market was the right decision but "three years too late" and that Merck should have studied this earlier but they were "too busy refuting the warning signs."

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