When was evidence of cardiovascular side effects of Vioxx first published?
Evidence of cardiovascular problems linked to Vioxx first appeared in 2001, when the so-called VIGOR study found that certain Vioxx users suffered twice as many heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems as users of the older painkiller naproxen. The following year, the FDA added warnings to Vioxx’s label. At first, scientists thought it may be because Vioxx users weren’t getting a blood-thinning benefit that comes with many older painkillers. But by 2002, top specialists were worried that Vioxx might be the direct culprit, and Merck’s own follow-up research prompted it to pull the drug.
