Archive for June, 2005
Merck fights with Vioxx victims but wants an image makeover
If you don’t own a Tivo, you probably have watched a few ads from Merck, the maker of now banned arthritis drug Vioxx. Since the recall of the drug in September last year, a lot of documents have emerged that show that not only did Merck knew about the dangerous side effects of Vioxx as [...]
Vioxx trial moves ahead
“It’s like Saddam Hussein wanting credit for coming out with his hands up.” That is how Mark Lanier, founder of The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Texas, describes Merck’s behavior in handling recall of Vioxx, in a discussion with Kristen Hays, a business writer for AP. Lanier is the attorney for Carol Ernst, whose husband [...]
Bextra ban confirmed in Europe
While Merck and Pfizer executives do not stop talking about bringing back Vioxx (voluntarily recalled by Merck after reports of as many as 50,000 deaths in the US alone and 140,000 personal injuries) and Bextra (FDA banned Bextra in April) despite conclusions that both drugs are too dangerous for arthritis patients, drug regulatory agencies worldwide [...]