Vioxx likely leads to heart problems: expert witness

By Jon Hurdle

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (Reuters) – The probability that
Merck & Co. Inc.’s arthritis drug Vioxx could lead to heart
problems or stroke is very high, an expert witness told a court
hearing a closely watched product liability lawsuit.

Fredrick Humeston, a 60-year-old postal worker and Vietnam
War veteran, is suing the drug maker, blaming Merck’s
painkiller for his 2001 heart attack.

The trial in Atlantic City, which got underway this week,
is the second such case against Merck, which withdrew its
blockbuster Vioxx drug, a so-called COX-2 inhibitor, from the
market last year.

“The probability is very high that Vioxx and other COX-2
inhibitors, but mostly Vioxx, can lead to the development of
thrombo-embololic events,” said Benedict Lucchesi, professor of
pharmacology at University of Michigan Medical School.

Lucchesi, responding to questions from the plaintiff’s
attorney Christopher Seeger, added: “Based on my medical
knowledge, there is a very good probability that Vioxx does
pose a risk to patients with underlying disorders.”

The plaintiffs produced a letter written in 1999 by John
Oates, a professor of pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and
former scientific advisor to Merck, warning the company to be
careful about marketing COX-2 drugs.

“He is telling Merck that you have to be careful. You can’t
just give (Cox-2s) to everybody,” Lucchesi said.

“They are trying to tell the leadership (about the risks)
before they go out and launch this drug to millions and
millions of people,” Lucchesi told the court, referring to a
May 1998 report issued by Merck’s scientific advisors to
Management.

The drug company is hoping for a victory after losing the
first Vioxx trial in Texas last month. Merck faces a slew of
suits following its voluntary withdrawal of the drug in
September 2004.

Merck withdrew the drug after its own research showed
increased risk of heart attack and stroke in some patient who
took Vioxx for at least 18 months.