Merck Disputes Conclusions of Vioxx Study Presented at Bordeaux Conference

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. - Merck issued a strong denunciation of the conclusions reached by FDA researcher Dr. James Graham and others who re-analyzed data on patients treated with Vioxx and told an international conference in August that Vioxx patients have a three-times greater risk of heart attack than those taking Celebrex.

Graham, a senior scientist with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Drug Safety, spoke at a conference for epidemiologists in Bordeaux, France, on Aug. 25.

Vioxx is a COX-2 specific inhibitor used to treat patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, severe menstrual pain, and migraines. It is classified …