Originally published September 8 2005
Merck tried to reformulate Vioxx to reduce heart risk before FDA approval, documents show
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Newly disclosed documents show Merck tried to patent a way to reduce the risk for cardiovascular problems caused by Cox-2 inhibitors like its prescription Vioxx in 1998, before Vioxx even hit the market, which suggests the company knew the drug's risks and attempted to reformulate it a year before it received FDA approval, but abandoned the efforts once approval was granted.
Merck & Co. sought patent protection for a way to reduce cardiovascular problems in Cox-2 inhibitors, the class of drugs that includes Vioxx, as early as 1998 _ a year before the popular pain killer was introduced, newly disclosed documents show.
The application suggests that Merck was attempting to reformulate the drugs targeted for arthritis sufferers two years earlier than had been previously disclosed.
Instead, Merck began marketing Vioxx in the United States soon after it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in May 1999.
Merck stopped selling Vioxx last September after a study showed it doubled the risk of heart attack and strokes for patients taking it for at least 18 months.
Mark Lanier, the Texas lawyer who last week won a $253.4 million verdict against Merck at the first Vioxx suit to be tried, said the 1998 patent application provides further evidence that the company knew about the drug's dangers even before it was introduced _ and marketed it anyway.
But Merck lawyer Ted Mayer said the company knew that Cox-2 inhibitors didn't have the cardioprotective properties of other pain relievers such as aspirin and was trying to enhance the class of drugs, not hide any defects.
According to the application, the invention would provide a method for treating, preventing or reducing the risk of conditions such as heart attacks, blood clots and strokes in patients taking Cox-2 inhibitors.
Merck insisted at the time that this was a result of naproxen's cardioprotective properties and not any defect in Vioxx.
After a nearly 10 percent tumble in trading late Friday and early Monday, Merck shares recovered some in the afternoon.
The stock was down 17 cents to close at $27.89 on the New York Stock Exchange with heavy volume of 46.3 million shares.
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