Journal Reveals Shady Drug Company Practices

Contact a Vioxx Lawyer

or

April 17th, 2008

"Merck's Questionable Practices Exposed"

Two reports released Wednesday reveal that Merck waged a deceptive promotional campaign for its top-selling painkiller Vioxx and disguised company studies as the work of outside scientists.

JAMA Studies

The first study accuses Merck of failing to provide the Food and Drug Administration with the complete fatality data from one of its Vioxx clinical trials.

In the second study, Merck is exposed for its use of “ghostwriters.” Company documents show that academic medical experts were recruited to list their names as primary authors on in-house research to make the findings appear more credible.

Both studies are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the editor of which pointed to the widespread use of such practices in the pharmaceutical industry.

“The manipulation of study results, authors, editors, and reviewers is not the sole purview of one company,” said an editorial signed by Catherine D. DeAngelis.

Vioxx Lawsuits

Vioxx entered the market in 1999 but was pulled in 2004 after several studies revealed the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Merck has since been named in over 26,000 lawsuits.

In November 2007, the company settled the claims by creating a $4.85 billion fund. Merck did not admit liability as part of the settlement.

(Source: Washington Post)

Injured by a defective drug? Contact an experienced attorney near you today to learn more about your legal rights and options.