Angleton, Texas – In an April 2001 letter to doctors, Merck seriously understated the heart risks faced by patients taking its painkiller Vioxx, according to evidence presented Tuesday in the first Vioxx lawsuit to reach trial.
In the letter, Merck reported that of patients taking Vioxx in the largest clinical trial of the drug ever, only 0.5 percent had incurred heart and circulation problems. That would mean only about 20 patients among the more than 4,000 who took Vioxx during the study.
In fact, 14.6 percent of the Vioxx patients – or 590 people – had cardiovascular troubles while taking the drug, according to Merck’s own report on the study to federal regulators. And 2.5 percent, or 101 people, had serious problems, such as heart attacks.
Merck sent the letter to thousands of doctors, including Dr.Brent Wallace, who prescribed Vioxx to Robert Ernst. Ernst, who was 59, died suddenly in May 2001 after taking Vioxx for eight months, and his family is suing Merck, claiming the drug caused his death.
Merck lied to Wallace, said a lawyer for the Ernst family.
Merck denies that Vioxx was responsible for Ernst’s death, which according to the autopsy report was the result of arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat. Vioxx has never been proved to cause arrhythmia, the company says.