|
NEW YORK (AP) - The editors of the New England Journal of Medicine published additional criticism of a Vioxx study on Wednesday even as it allowed the authors of the article to defend themselves against the critique it delivered two months ago.
In the latest salvo, the editors said that if the authors had disclosed all heart-related side effects patients suffered by taking Vioxx in the study originally published in 2000, it would have shown that any complicated gastrointestinal event the drug prevented was offset by a serious heart problem.
Vioxx was developed to be gentler on the stomach than other pain relievers, which accounted for much of its consumer appeal. Merck & Co. removed it from the market in September 2004 after a study showed it doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes after 18 months of use.
|