A jury in Texas, US, awarded 拢141 million on Friday to a widow who claimed her husband had died after taking the painkiller, Vioxx.
Merck, the drugs giant which manufactures the drug, based in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, US, suffered a major setback when the jury awarded the sum to Texan Carol Ernst, a widow who claimed her husband Robert had died after taking Vioxx (or rofecoxib) to ease pain.
The company, which voluntarily withdrew Vioxx in October 2004, could now face thousands of additional claims for compensation, but announced on Friday that it is appealing against the Texas verdict.
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In a statement, Merck said there is no evidence that Vioxx causes abnormalities in heart rhythm like those which killed Ernst. 鈥淭here are other Vioxx cases coming to trial, and we will vigorously defend them one by one,鈥� said Kenneth Frazier, Merck鈥檚 senior vice president.
Anti-depressant
Meanwhile, GlaxoSmith Kline鈥檚 top-selling anti-depressant, paroxetine (known as Paxil or Seroxat), is also taking a hammering. A Norwegian study concludes that adults taking the drug are more likely to attempt suicide than those on a placebo.
Ivar Aursnes鈥檚 team at the University of Oslo analysed the results of studies which included 916 patients on paroxetine and 550 patients on placebo. They discovered that seven patients on the drug attempted suicide, compared with just one on placebo. None of the suicide attempts were successful.
鈥淭he company disagrees with the conclusion from the sub-analysis conducted by scientists in Oslo,鈥� says GlaxoSmithKline in a statement. 鈥淚t serves only to cause confusion and unnecessary concern for patients using an SSRI (selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor), such as paroxetine, for treatment of depression.鈥�
Suicide links have already persuaded drug regulators in the US and Europe to advise against giving SSRIs like paroxetine to children under the age of 18. Aursnes now wants adults alerted. 鈥淭hey should be warned there鈥檚 a risk,鈥� he says.
Journal reference: BioMedCentral Medicine (DOI: 10.1186/1741-7015-3-14)
