Summary

Original source:
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/12/08/hscout529591.html

Details

• The editors at one of the world's leading medical journals have accused researchers and Vioxx manufacturer Merck & Co. of withholding key heart risk data that showed up in one of the first large trials of the now-withdrawn arthritis painkiller.
• Specifically, the editors of the New England Journal of Medicine charged that a major study published in November 2000 was submitted to the journal after information about three heart attacks among Vioxx trial participants was deleted by Merck, which funded the study.
• "It changes the level of risk and changes one of the conclusions [of the study] that only people at high risk were at risk."
• In addition, electronic records showed "a pre-submission version of the study from which data, including the number of heart attacks and deaths, were deleted by a Merck editor two days before submission," Curfman told HealthDay.
• An expression of concern is the procedure established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for announcing concern about the validity of previously published work.
• Despite its publication date, the unusual accusation was released Thursday afternoon just as jurors in Houston began their deliberations in the first federal trial against Merck involving the drug.
• The study now questioned by the journal editors was called VIGOR (Vioxx Gastrointestinal Outcomes Research), and its conclusions had been frequently cited by Merck in the current trial and elsewhere as proof of Vioxx's safety.
• As the Vioxx trial in Houston moved along, the third against Merck so far, the plaintiff's attorneys subpoenaed Curfman, the journal's executive editor.
• The memo indicated that at least two of the three VIGOR authors knew of the problems at least two weeks before submitting the first of two revisions, and four-and-a-half months before actual publication, of the study.

Related Articles

Popular Topics: Merck, Vioxx, Journal editors, Diabetes, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/016568.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/016568.html">Editors of medical journal accuse Merck of manipulating study data</a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts