Posted by tealady on November 23, 2004, at 19:35:19 [reposted on November 23, 2004, at 23:13:16 | original URL]
In reply to Vioxx withdrawal, posted by tealady on October 1, 2004, at 5:07:30
> Not sure if anyone is interested.
> I've only tried NSAID's once for pain, and didn't like them.
>
>
> Merck & Co., Inc. announced a voluntary withdrawal of Vioxx (rofecoxib) from the U.S. and worldwide market due to safety concerns of an increased risk of cardiovascular events (including heart attack and stroke) in patients on
> Vioxx. Vioxx is a prescription COX-2 selective, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that was approved by FDA in May 1999 for the relief of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis, for the management of acute pain in adults, and for the treatment of menstrual symptoms, and was later approved for the relief of the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in adults and children.
>
> Read the 2004 MedWatch safety summary, including links to the Public Health
> Advisory, press release, and Q&As, at:
>
> http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2004/safety04.htm#vioxx
>
> -------------------
>
> Statement by Sidney M. Wolfe, MD, Director of Public Citizen's Health
> Research Group, Concerning Withdrawal of Vioxx From the Market
>
> Today's announcement by Merck is the latest evidence that this family of drugs, the Cox-2 inhibitors, once referred to as "super aspirins,"
> are turning out to be more like super disasters.
>
> In an article published three and a half years ago in our monthly newsletter, Worst Pills, Best Pills News (now online at
> http://www.WorstPills.org/vioxxqd/ ), we warned readers that both Vioxx and Celebrex were DO NOT USE drugs - our designation for drugs
> that are not safe and effective enough to use. Although Merck's withdrawal of Vioxx "solves" the serious safety problems with this drug, the most-prescribed alternatives, Celebrex and Bextra, also have some concerns about their cardiac toxicity.
>http://www.heartcenteronline.com/myheartdr/home/research-detail.cfm?reutersid=4884&nl=3
Study suggests how COX drugs cause heart disease
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Nov 19 (Reuters) - Painkillers suspected of causing fatal heart disease may act by starting the process of hardening the arteries, researchers proposed on Thursday.The drugs, known as COX-2 inhibitors, include Merck and Co.'s Vioxx, which earned the company $2.55 billion a year but was pulled off the market on Sept. 30 after a study showed it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Tests on mice suggest COX-2 inhibitors might be especially dangerous to younger women, who are normally protected by biology from heart disease.
The research, published in Friday's issue of the journal Science, also supports the theory that there could be a "class effect," meaning that all brands of COX-2 inhibitors could raise the risk of heart disease.
Jan
poster:tealady
thread:397624
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20041005/msgs/419538.html