Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

May 17, 2008 2:09:06 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

Back to the grid

Merck Used Ghostwriters to Draft Rosy Vioxx Studies  

Posted Apr 15, 08 7:51 PM CDT in Business,  Science & Health    Most Covered

(newser) – Merck used its own ghostwriters to draft articles minimizing risks of its drug Vioxx, then found medical researchers to lend their names to the research, the Wall Street Journal reports. Merck, which pulled the painkiller from shelves four years ago over heart-attack risks, rejects the claims as "misleading." They appear in tomorrow's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“It almost calls into question all legitimate research that’s been conducted by the pharmaceutical industry with the academic physician,” the lead researcher of the JAMA study tells the New York Times. He says the ghostwriting practice is widespread in the industry, and a companion editorial in JAMA calls for immediate changes.

Sources Wall Street Journal, New York Times

open commentscomments (0)

Editor Recommended

Read the report in JAMA
Journal of the American Medical Association | Apr 16, 08

Time for a review of publishing guidelines
Insider Medicine | Apr 15, 08

Facts about Vioxx
Reuters | Apr 15, 08

Related News

  • Merck Will Pay $650M to End Discount Probes

    Feb 7, 08 3:59 PM CST
    Merck Will Pay $650M to End Discount Probes Drug company Merck will dish out $650 million to resolve lawsuits and probes into marketing schemes, the Wall Street Journal reports. Central to the investigations is the company’s “nominal pricing,” which slashed some drug prices by 90% for hospitals but hid the discounts from Medicaid, even though federal law demands that drug companies offer the government program their lowest prices. More »

Merck Used Ghostwriters to Draft Rosy Vioxx Studies
Vioxx is arranged on a counting tray in this 2004 file photo.   (AP Photo/Daniel Hulshizer, File)
Merck Used Ghostwriters to Draft Rosy Vioxx Studies
This handout image shows the logo for Merck & Co.   (Getty Images (by Event))
prev   next
play

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

ethics  • pharmaceutical companies  • Merck  • Vioxx  • medical studies  • JAMA


Loading...

Loading...

Related Threads: Pharma Misbehaving, Drug Companies

Next story from this section »

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Science & Health Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »