Docken & Company News

Vioxx's risk high in first two weeks, study finds

(2006-05-03) ANDRÉ PICARD From Wednesday's Globe and Mail The blockbuster drug Vioxx was pulled from the market in the fall of 2004 after research showed that the painkiller doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke and that its use may have contributed to thousands of deaths in North America. Now, a new Canadian study shows that the risk was even more dramatic because one in four of the heart attacks that occurred were within two weeks of the start of treatment. "This demonstrates that cardiovascular risks from taking Vioxx may occur much earlier than previously believed," said Linda Lévesque, an assistant professor in the department of community health and epidemiology at Queen's University in Kingston.

More info: Full Story