Vioxx® Recall by Merck Features on 60 Minutes

Return to Vioxx® homepage on SSEM.COM

Merck was the focus of an investigation by CBS and featured on the news program 60 Minutes. The feature focused on some of the information already presented on our website and discussed Merck's inaction when faced with the option to further test Vioxx® for cardiovascular safety.

According to Matthew Harper at Forbes.com, Merck had promised a cardiovascular study of Vioxx® to prove its safety. This was announced during a meeting with financial analysts in December 2001.

Barbara Ryan, an analyst at Deutsche Bank who was an attendee at that original meeting, said that based on that meeting she expected a large study to prove the cardiovascular safety of Vioxx®. She states, "They did not say, 'we're going to do placebo-controlled cancer studies and look at cardiovascular risk.' They said, 'we're doing cardiovascular outcomes studies.'"

That study never occurred. It was only during the APPROVe study, designed to test the effectiveness of Vioxx® on colon cancer, that Merck finally gave in and recalled Vioxx® because of the increased cardiovascular risk shown.

If you believe that you or a relative were injured by taking Vioxx® please use the form below to contact our law firm.

References