Documents Suggest Merck Tried to Censor Vioxx Critics

"Some poor guy discovered that most ulcers are caused by a bacteria. Proved it, was screaming it from the rooftops, and was completely ignored."

Great point!!!!

The same was true of scurvvy two hundred years ago. It was thought scurvvy was an std (sailors mainly got it and we all know about sailors). A doctor proved it was the lack of Vit C but was laughed at.

The scurvvy/std myth lasted until as late as 1920 (there are medical magazine articles arguing the issue from that date).

Myth have a life of their own.

Vioxx - best medicine ever invented. Cured my arthritis nearly instantaneously. A miracle drug.

Thank you for saying that. My mother was put on Vioxx July 6, 1999. It went on the market July 1, 1999. My mom was 85 years old. Within a day or two she was pain free for the first time in years. Her death over three years later had nothing to do with Vioxx. It was certainly a miracle drug for her and made her final years more comfortable.

Most drugs work for some people for some time but one cannot say because only a percentage of people die of their side effects that they are wonderful.

Thalidomide and even mercury did have benifits for thousands of people but were all the horrific, deformed babies worth it?

Many people die before the long term 'side effects' kick-in while ofhers seem immune from them.

It is those who are not so lucky that determine the drugs safety.

Thalidomide

In Europe and Canada during the early 1960s, thalidomide was prescribed to treat morning sickness in pregnant women. At that time, it was not approved in the United States because Dr. Frances Kelsey from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated there was insufficient proof of the drug’s safety in humans.

Thalidomide was soon banned worldwide when it was discovered that it caused tragic birth defects. According to the March of Dimes (MOD, November 1998), "More than 10,000 children around the world were born with major malformations, many missing arms and legs, because their mothers had taken the drug during early pregnancy.

Mothers who had taken the drug when arms and legs were beginning to form had babies with a widely varying but recognizable pattern of limb deformities.

The most well-known pattern, absence of most of the arm with the hands extending flipper-like from the shoulders, is called phocomelia. Another frequent arm malformation called radial aplasia was absence of the thumb and the adjoining bone in the lower arm. Similar limb malformations occurred in the lower extremities.

The affected babies almost always had both sides affected and often had both the arms and the legs malformed. In addition to the limbs, the drug caused malformations of the eyes and ears, heart, genitals, kidneys, digestive tract (including the lips and mouth), and nervous system.

Thalidomide was recognized as a powerful human teratogen (a drug or other agent that causes abnormal development in the embryo or fetus). Taking even a single dose of thalidomide during early pregnancy may cause major birth defects."

Overall people, I think the drug industry and modern medicine has yielded a significantly more positive than negative impact on our population's health. Sure, drug companies are profit takers too. But the alternative, means no more progress. (what was the last great drug advance offered from France?) And how can you people sit there and knock these HIV drugs? gimme a break. I remember just 10 years ago when entire hospital wings were devoted to dying AIDS patients. Its like bitching that offered water isnt cold enough when you're dying of thirst in the desert.

This article needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

No kidding. Who does NPR expect drug makers to market drugs to if not doctors? If anyone wonders why doctors are leaving, hospitals are closing and health care is outrageously expensive you can start with idiots like those at NPR, ambulance chasing lawyers, and the high cost of insurance to guard against things like this.

Yes, all medication has side-effects and works differently on people. There is not a guaranteed outcome. I would rather trust the drug companies, the doctors, the hospitals, and the pharmacists than a bunch of lunatics at NPR and ambulance chasing whores.

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