Merck’s Vioxx safety defense blasted by doctor
While first week of Humeston vs Merck trial in Atlantic City was no good for the company, the second way appears to have started with even more disturbing testimony from world-renowned heart specialist Dr. Benedict Lucchesi. According to him, intermittent use of Vioxx or even a day’s use of the painkiller could be enough to cause a heart attack. This is in total contrast to Merck’s position all along that a patient needs to take the medication for at least 18 months before the risks are evident. In fact that is the central argument that Merck is presenting in the ongoing trial and also plans to make the fortcoming federal trial in Houston in the case of Richard Irvin Jr. who too died just one month after taking the painkiller.
Dr. Lucchesi, who broke down last week when he testified that Merck scientists knowingly sold a drug that they knew could be fatal to some patients, again blasted Merck scientists. In particular he criticized how Merck distorted the data on risks of Vioxx by claiming that Aleve (the drug with which the comparison was made) was good for the heart rather than saying that Vioxx was bad for the heart. Even the makers of Aleve (naproxen) have not made that argument.
Dr. Lucchesi also expressed shock that how could Merck scientists “not know the potential for harm” when it was obvious to the rest of the scientific community. In fact, Dr. David Graham at the FDA has been saying that Vioxx should have never been approved. In that context, one wonders what were those FDA panel members thinking when they recommended in February that Vioxx should be allowed to return. A panel in Canada came up with a similar recommendation but other health agencies worldwide maintain their ban on both Vioxx and Bextra.
Dr. Luccesi’s testimony must have come as a shock to Merck management since the company has hired students of his for internship. He is a professor at the University of Michigan Medical School. He said that he felt “funny” criticizing the firm when “Merck has been extremely good to me over the years.”
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