Vioxx Maker Gave Money to Charities

LEADING arthritis charities have accepted thousands of pounds in sponsorship and donations from Merck, the drugs company that stands accused of deliberately suppressing information about the health risks of its painkiller Vioxx.Recently Carol Ernst from Texas was awarded $253.4m in damages after a jury found Merck liable in the first trial involving the Vioxx-linked death of her husband.The financial links with the pharmaceutical giant have led some critics to accuse charities of a potential conflict of interest, particularly where they run helplines offering supposedly impartial advice on treatments and pain relief to patients.Vioxx was heavily marketed as the safest and most effective drug for arthritis and related conditions when it was launched in the UK six years ago. Arthritis Care, one of the biggest charities in the field, received [Pound]26,000 from Merck in 2004 alone.Other recipients included the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, the National Osteoporosis Society and the British Society for Rheumatology.Experts said that the relationship between Merck and arthritis groups was merely a small part of a bigger problem, with millions of pounds being spent by drugs companies in return for their corporate logo and name being featured on websites and literature created by respected and influential charities.Sapna Malik, a solicitor representing more than 50 patients who are suing Merck over Vioxx, said: “I am sure the charities would say that they act independently of the companies that give them money, but it is an unhealthy relationship.”How can a charity that has taken money from Merck and features its logo, then offer impartial advice if something goes wrong?”Drugs companies want to get something for their money, and the emerging situation surrounding Merck has brought the way in which this can prove to be a conflict of interest to the fore.”Vioxx was launched in the UK in 1999 and it was aggressively marketed to GPs, hospital consultants and patient groups as a new type of painkiller that was more effective and safer than otheranti-inflammatory drugs.It promised to be particularly useful for arthritis sufferers.But it was withdrawn in September last year after it emerged that it was linked to a doubling of heart attacks and strokes in patients.Merck is now facing legal action from more than 4,000 patients around the world, including 300 in Britain, who claim that they or their relatives suffered or died as a result of Vioxx. It is estimated to have contributed to the deaths of around 60,000 people.Merck has also been hit by allegations that it knew as early as 1998 that the drug carried increased risks of cardiovascular problems, but withheld the information from both the US Food and Drugs Administration and the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) when applying for licences.The Independent newspaper in the UK has reported that many of the biggest arthritis charities have been long- standing recipients of sponsorship and donations from Merck’s UK subsidiary, Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD). The website for Arthritis Care says its creation was “made possible with support from Merck Sharp and Dohme”.