VIOXX Continues to Be Risky

December 13, 2010: Heart risks of Vioxx persist long after drug is stopped

People who thought they were in the clear after they stopped taking the now banned painkiller rofecoxib (Vioxx) might have to think again. The risks of the drug, which was pulled off the market in 2004 after it was linked to heart attacks and strokes, persist even after people stop taking it, according to a study released Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The findings also serve as a reminder to use caution with related painkillers that are still available, notably celecoxib (Celebrex). Some studies suggest it might pose similar, though less severe, risks to the heart. Other related drugs, such as ibuprofen (Advil and generic) and naproxen (Aleve and generic), might as well. And all of those drugs, called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), can cause dangerous gastrointestinal bleeding and other problems, especially when taken long term. See our advice on when to take an NSAID.

The new study found that seniors with mild cognitive impairment who had taken Vioxx had a higher rate of cardiovascular problems and death up to nearly a year and a half after they stopped taking the drug compared with those who took a placebo. It's unknown whether those risks persist even longer because none of the people in the study were followed past 500 days after they stopped taking Vioxx.
—Steve Mitchell, associate editor, Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs

Selections from Natural Health News

Vioxx maker Merck drew up hit list

Sep 27, 2009
Dr Fries said in the letter that Merck had been systematically playing down the side effects of Vioxx and said the company's behaviour "seriously impinges on academic freedom". The court was also told a rheumatologist on Merck's ...
Natural Health News: Pfizer hedging its bets? UPDATE
Oct 17, 2008
The Vioxx withdrawal, which triggered an avalanche of lawsuits against Merck, also raised concerns about the safety of other medicines in the same class, called Cox-2 inhibitors. They were heavily touted by their makers as superior to ...
Natural Health News: Drugs Contribute to Dementia, Delirium
Apr 01, 2009
For example, Public Citizen warned consumers about the dangers of Vioxx, ephedra, Baycol and Propulsid years before they were pulled from the market. A partial list of drugs is below. I chose Antihistamines because it is the time of ...
WE TOLD YOU SO
Aug 16, 2006
(Merck, the manufacturer of Fosamax, is currently involved in thousands of lawsuits involving its drug Vioxx which is no longer on the market. Vioxx was pulled after a study revealed that people taking the drug had an increased risk of ...