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California Reaction to Drugs Such As Vioxx
On September 30, 2004
The drug manufacturer Merck voluntarily pulled its arthritis pain reliever, Vioxx, from the world market. Vioxx had recorded global sales of more than $2.5 billion in 2003 and had been taken by 20 million Americans. Post-marketing studies had found that Vioxx, and quite possibly similar medications, may have contributed to as many as 55,000 heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths between 1999 and 2003.33 The controversy, and subsequent claims of a coverup by Merck, triggered a cascade of civil actions, criminal complaints, financial losses, and political reactions for the drug manufacturer. Within these events, accusations of the actions and inactions of the FDA figured very prominently.
The Wall Street Journal reported that internal e-mails, marketing documents, and interviews with outside scientists who questioned the safety of Vioxx indicated that Merck was aware of safety concerns related to the medication and sought to hide potential injuries to protect sales. As early as 2000, internal Merck e-mails recognized the dangers of Vioxx and, even in the face of clinical trials to the contrary, issued public statements that Merck had affirmed the favorable safety profile of Vioxx.34 Merck also sought to silence outside critics of Vioxx and to prevent publication of any negative research, the newspaper reported.
California could also implement its own adverse drug reaction reporting mechanism to complement the federal reporting system. Such a system could identify a central medical review body, implement a duplicate prescription system for targeted drugs, identify the pool of users and prescription practices, and create a simple ADR reporting system for physicians. Any proposal would also have to address California privacy and confidentiality issues related to reporting prescription usage. California could report findings from the state system directly to the FDA. Implementation of this option could, however, require significant additional state resources.
Contact California Vioxx Attorneys
Contact an Vioxx Attorney for the following California cities:
If you or anyone you know has taken Vioxx and has experienced difficulties due to the drug, contact our vioxx lawyer and receive a free case evaluation.
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