Ill Effects from Vioxx Linger

The popular pain reliever Vioxx was removed from the market in 2004 because of concerns the drug was increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Long-term follow-up of subjects from one study suggested that the cardiovascular risks persisted even after people stopped taking the drug. A new analysis of data from a different study confirms this conclusion. The investigators reported that people who had taken Vioxx were more likely to have suffered death, heart attack or stroke than those given placebo, even after they discontinued the drug.

[Archives of Internal Medicine, Dec. 13/27, 2010]