Vioxx Drug Pulled
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"Arthritis Drug Vioxx Being Pulled"
Vioxx, an arthritis drug used by millions of people around the world, is being taken off the market within the next couple of days. According to a recent study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, patients taking Vioxx faced a 50 percent greater risk of heart attacks and sudden cardiac death than those taking Pfizer's Celebrex arthritis treatment. Vioxx was originally designed to block arthritis inflammation and pain as effectively as standard non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen, while causing far fewer ulcers and gastrointestinal problems than the older treatments. Those recent studies; however, also showed that the drug in addition increased incidence of blood clots tied to strokes and heart attacks. After the announcement was made Merck & Co., the manufacturer of the drug, has lost 15% of their shares. Nonetheless shares of Pfizer Inc., which sells two rival arthritis drugs, rose 5%...