I’m sure that they’re in damage control mode after reading about how Vioxx increases heart attack risk.

Patients taking Merck & Co. Inc.’s Vioxx arthritis drug had a 50 percent greater chance of heart attacks and sudden cardiac death than individuals using Pfizer Inc.’s rival Celebrex medicine, according to a large study financed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. . .

The study also found patients taking the highest recommended daily dosage of Vioxx had three times the risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death as those not taking standard painkillers.

The study will be published in the Lancet in a few weeks. I’m not able to find an abstract of the study (if someone can email me a link, it would be much appreciated). From what I gather, it’s an observational study – the weakest kind. I’ll have to read the actual study, but I’ll probably think twice about giving Vioxx to those who have, or are at high risk, for heart disease.