Merck put profits ahead of life, doctor says

In a country that otherwise seems to value life so much it is sad to see that not much had been heard from pro-life groups about the Vioxx tragedy. 140,000 personal injuries and as many as 60,000 Americans dead. But that does not mean that some honorable people are not upset. One of them is Dr. Benedict Lucchesi, the world-famous scientist who worked on the pacemaker. While testifying today in the Humeston vs Merck trial in Atlantic City today, tears came into his eyes as he said, "They (Merck scientists) are putting profits before life."

As is already known, when Vioxx was found to increase the rate of heart attacks more than Aleve, instead of doing anything about it, Merck simply paraphrased the conclusions to say that Aleve was a safer drug for the heart. Since the recall of Vioxx, a lot of new information has emerged on Merck's aggressive marketing tactics.

It is generally agreed that Merck knew all along that Vioxx side effects were just too high but the company wanted to compete with Pfizer's drugs Celebrex and Bextra. According to documents presented in court, Merck's own scientist Briggs Morrison and a consultant Dr John Oates also highlighted the risks of the drug but the marketing heads prevailed. The drug was eventually launched and heavily promoted through direct-to-consumer advertising.

The sales reps at Merck were trained in avoiding questions related to risks of Vioxx and they played games like Dodgeball to learn how to do that when doctors probed them.

Related article: Federal Vioxx trial on schedule in Texas