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Is Merck Inc. fully to blame for misleading the public about the safety of the pain medication Vioxx? This is the question that my research paper will examine by pulling the opinions of experts in the subject along with my own opinion. This issue impacts the company, the employees, owners, creditors, regulators, and communities. This is a very complex issue concerning the deaths of some, a company's very existence, along with millions of dollars.
On September 30, 2004 Merck & Co., Inc. announced that they would voluntary withdrawal Vioxx from the market worldwide. "Vioxx is a COX-2 selective non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It is a prescription medication used to relieve signs and symptoms of arthritis and acute pain, which is only to be used by adult patients." (REF) The FDA did not require Merck to withdraw its product from the market however; it was an independent decision on Merck's part. (Hopkins) The FDA does share the same safety concerns for patients taking Vioxx and especially for those that take the drug regularly. After Merck pulled the drug off the market, the FDA issued a public health advisory concerning the use of Vioxx.
An argument can be made that this is indeed Merck's fault. Vioxx made it onto the market with a 17-15-majority vote. Even though Vioxx made its way to the market much controversy swirled around its introduction to the public. Ten of the thirty-two experts on the FDA COX-2 advisory panel that evaluated these drugs had what the Center for Science in Public Interest considered "affiliations" with the drug companies. (Adams) These experts that were consid ...