More Vioxx Coverups Float to the Top

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http://www.mercola.com/2005/jul/7/vioxx_coverups.htm

 

More Vioxx Coverups Float to the Top

 

Just when it seemed all of Merck's deceitfulness and blatant

mishandling of Vioxx was out in the open, another jaw-dropping

incident hits the table. A document, mistakenly provided by Merck to

plaintiff lawyers as part of the evidence-gathering process in one of

the hundreds of Vioxx lawsuits around the country, revealed:

 

Merck researchers privately considered reformulating Vioxx in 2000 to

reduce its cardiovascular side effects (even in the midst of publicly

playing down a study that found patients taking the drug were five

times more likely to have heart attacks than those using naproxen).

 

Behind the Scenes

 

According to the document, company scientists were entertaining the

idea of combining Vioxx with an agent that would block blood platelets

from clotting, in order to reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes.

 

The cardiovascular risk inherent in Vioxx, noted the document, could

stem from a reduction of prostacyclin, which prevents platelet

aggregation. That mechanism could alter the ratio of prostacyclin to

thromboxane, a substance that can constrict blood vessels and cause

clotting, causing increased risk of cardiac and cerebral adverse events.

 

Moreover, in that document between researchers and Merck's patent

department, it was admitted that the way Vioxx works to reduce pain

could also increase the risk for cardiovascular problems; they

suggested a patent be sought to diminish those side effects.

 

Damaging Evidence

 

Revealing Merck's desire to reformulate the drug could potentially be

among the most damaging evidence to surface since Vioxx sales were

suspended, as it questions the company's defense that Merck officials

were convinced of the drug's safety.

 

And while Merck continues to believe they acted responsibly in the

matter, Rep. Henry A. Waxman begs to differ, saying in a report after

a review of Merck documents that the company supplied over 3,000 sales

people with misleading information about Vioxx's health risks:

 

*

 

One Merck document indicated the company instructed sales people

to show physicians a pamphlet showing Vioxx might be eight to 11 times

safer than other anti-inflammatory drugs.

*

 

Another memo instructed sales representatives not to bring up

the drug's heart risks with doctors.

 

San Francisco Chronicle June 23, 2005

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

Last year it was very clear to me that we were entering the final

stages of using drugs as the primary tool in American health care. It

is very clear to me that the fatally flawed paradigm is on its way

out. More and more people are starting to realize how truly evil many

drug companies are.

 

Merck is one of the leading companies in the industry and it just

seems to be getting worse and worse for them. I recently ran an

article that unveiled yet another example of Merck's patent disregard

for human safety.

 

If you are still not convinced, let me share more of the evidence of

additional ethical challenges Merck has had:

 

*

 

In 1991, nearly a decade before the first public disclosure, a

memo from Merck showed senior executives were concerned that infants

were getting an elevated dose of mercury in vaccinations containing

the preservative thimerosal. The memo disclosed that 6-month-old

children who received their shots on schedule would be receiving a

mercury dose nearly 87 times higher than guidelines for the maximum

daily consumption of mercury in fish. In addition, it included the

following recommendation: whenever possible, particularly among use in

infants and young children, vaccines with mercury should be eliminated.

*

 

In September 1999, amidst concerns about the risks of mercury in

childhood vaccines, Merck stated that the FDA had approved a

preservative-free version of their vaccine. And, despite Merck's news

release at that time, which stated, " Now Merck's infant vaccine line

is free of all preservatives, " the company continued to distribute

vaccines containing thimerosal until October 2001.

*

 

In 1989 and 1990, already well aware of the negative effects

statin drugs have on your body's CoQ10 levels, Merck decided to patent

the use of CoQ10 in combination with statin drugs. Products containing

this important combination should have hit the market soon afterward.

However, Merck chose not to exercise these patents, nor to help

educate doctors and patients on the potential dangers of ingesting

statins without CoQ10. To this day, even with the popularity and

prescription numbers of statins soaring into the stratosphere, many

prescribing physicians and their patients remain ignorant about these

important findings.

 

Please remember folks, what we reveal to you in this newsletter is

only the information that has been discovered and publicly disclosed.

It would seem more than reasonable to assume there are many more Merck

and drug company proverbial skeletons in the closet.

 

Please remember also that most of these companies DO NOT have your

health in their best interests. My staff and I will continue to do our

best to help you see this, but an even better option for you would be

to make the health risks that drugs (and surgery) pose irrelevant to

you and your family.

 

The way to do this is to live a lifestyle that maximizes your body's

abilities to withstand disease. All the tools you need to do so are

available to you on my Web site. All you need to do is to put them to use.

 

Related Articles:

 

How America Was Blinded by Merck's Vaccine Lies

 

Can Merck Rehabilitate its Injured Image?

 

Drug Company Empire Ready to Fall