New APPROVe Data Suggest Vioxx Risk in Short-Term Use

NEW YORK - New data Merck & Co. Inc. submitted recently to the FDA suggest Vioxx begins to adversely affect the cardiovascular system after only four months use rather than the 18 months the company has previously asserted, medical experts are reporting.

In a 107-page summary of data from a one-year patient follow-up for the APPROVe study, a graph shows that the number of thrombotic cardiovascular events among Vioxx users began to outpace those of people taking a placebo after just four months, The Wall Street Journal said on May 18.

While the number of cardiovascular events included in the …