Vioxx Risk Lingered After Use, Study Finds

Summary

---

TRENTON, N.J. -- A doubled risk of heart attack, stroke and death persisted at least a year after people stopped taking withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, according to an analysis of long-term data from the study that led drugmaker Merck & Co. to stop selling the drug.

The analysis, published online today by the British medical journal The Lancet, also appears to show the higher risk started soon after patients began taking Vioxx, though the study notes a small sample size precludes a definitive finding on this issue.

See the full content of this document

Extract

---

Vioxx Risk Lingered After Use, Study Finds

Doctors critical of Merck and its reporting of Vioxx studies have long argued increased cardiovascular risks from the former blockbuster arthritis drug started after just a few months' use and persisted after use en...

See the full content of this document

---