Vioxx Medication Case Study

Vioxx Medication (Rofecoxib) Vioxx (Rofecoxib) medication is a class of drug called nonsteroidal and inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Vioxx was introduced on May 20, 1999 by Merck & Co. It has been used by over 20 million Americans since it was put on the market. Vioxx works by reducing substances that cause inflammation, pain and fever in the body. Vioxx is used to reduce pain, inflammation, and stiffness cause by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and certain forms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Also vioxx is used to treat acute pain in adults, treat migraines, and menstrual pain. Vioxx was available on prescription in both tablets and as an oral suspension. At the hospitals it was also available in injection. Vioxx was prescribed worldwide to up to 80 million people at some time. Vioxx belongs to a class of …show more content…
However, several studies have questioned the cardiovascular safety of Vioxx. The manufacture of Vioxx has announced a voluntary withdrawal of the drug from the U.S. and worldwide market in September 30, 2004. After the company’s own 3 year study was stopped. Two million Americans were taking Vioxx when it was pulled and Merck had said that approximately 20 million people in the U.S. have used the drug. This withdrawal was due to some safety concerns of an increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes in patients taking Vioxx during the first 18 months. In the 5 years that Vioxx was on the market over 88,000 and 140,000 cases of heart disease were reported, of those cases 30 to 40 percent were fatal. The records indicate that the action of both Merck and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found nearly 30,000 excess cases of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths that resulted from the use of this drug between 1999 and 2003. Over 300 lawsuits have been filed against Merck, and was expected that thousand more will