Studies show heart problems with Vioxx at least three years before recall

November 24, 12:28 PMTampa Running Fitness ExaminerMelissa Murfin

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Tampa Running Fitness Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Vioxx increases cardiovascular risks

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Rofecoxib_skeletal.png

A paper recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine indicates that studies showed cardiovascular problems with Vioxx as much as three years before it was recalled. Vioxx is a COX-2 inhibitor, a type of anti-inflammatory like Celebrex that causes less stomach irritation than other anti-inflammatory medications. Vioxx was withdrawn from the market in 2004 after a large study for prevention of colon cancer showed an increased risk of cardiovascular problems in patients using Vioxx.

Independent investigators reviewed data from 30 different research trials using rofecoxib, the generic name of Vioxx. These studies included more than 17,000 patients taking Vioxx for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's prevention or colon cancer prevention. Analyzing data available through 2001 showed a 35% increase of cardiovascular problems in patients taking Vioxx.

Data from many of these studies was not published. It is only now, on review due to lawsuits, that the entire accumulated body of evidence against Vioxx is coming to light. The FDA has since initiated a website for clinical research to help pool data so that problems of this nature may be identified sooner.