Good Medical Care for the Elderly and How to Get It

Merck announces plans for new Vioxx-like drug

The Boston Globe reported on March 30, 2007 that Merck is scheduled to appear before the FDA to seek approval for a new painkiller “that is just like Vioxx,” the drug Merck was forced with withdraw from the market in 2004 when research proved that it increased the risk of heart attacks substantially. Just so you know, the new drug is called Arcoxia. While some analysts doubt that the FDA will approve the drug, others are skeptical about the FDA. Legislation is pending that seeks to avoid another Vioxx mess by limiting the type of advertising that can be done with new drugs and to limit the number of doctors who can prescribe them when safety concerns arise after the FDA has already approved a drug.

You can read the entire Globe article here.

Technorati tags: Merck, vioxx, fda, drug safety

Vioxx -- What did Merck know, when did Merck know it . . .

On February 18, 2007, the Boston Globe printed an Op-ed piece by Dr. Jerry Avorn. Dr. Avorn teaches at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He is a leading expert on the topic of safe use of medications in the elderly. He’s also the author of "Powerful Medicines: the Benefits, Risks, and Costs of Prescription Drugs." [Available at local book stores]

Dr. Avorn recently testified pro bono on behalf of the plaintiffs in a class action suit against Merck & Co. in what is, for Merck, “a multi billion-dollar bet.” Merck is awaiting a jury verdict that will decide two important questions—questions that are part of what is called a “special verdict form.” Special verdict forms require the jury to make written findings on issues of fact and nothing more. The jury in Atlantic City is asked to decide whether Merck knew that its blockbuster Vioxx could cause heart attacks, but then minimized that risk in the information it gave to doctors and patients. The jury’s decision on these issues help to prevent future drug disasters.

According to Dr. Avorn, the judge will first ask the jury to decide these factual questions: