Fw: [Power Hour II] Patients fill Vioxx vacancy Doctors debate value of other treatments

[Guest guest]

[Power Hour II] Patients fill Vioxx vacancy Doctors debate value of

other treatments

http://www.news-journalonline.com/cgi-bin/printme.asp

Originally appeared on News-Journal Online at

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/03AreaEAST0110170\

4.htm |

Patients fill Vioxx vacancy

Doctors debate value of other treatments

By RAY WEISS

Staff Writer

Last update: October 17, 2004

Frey doesn't know what's worse, the pain or the uncertainty.

Like millions of arthritis sufferers, she was a long-time user of Vioxx, the

popular painkiller that was pulled from the market two weeks ago because of an

increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

On her doctor's recommendation, Frey, 57, switched in February from Vioxx to

Bextra, another in a family of anti-inflammatory drugs that also includes

Celebrex.

Now she wonders if Bextra is safe.

Did you know?

Just as a promising new drug can send a stock price

soaring, a recall or negative findings in a study can devastate a pharmaceutical

company's outlook, especially if the product represents a large part of the

company's revenue. Here are three examples of once-popular drugs that fell out

of favor:

· Lipobay/Baycol, distributed by Bayer, muscle

discomfort linked to at least 40 deaths worldwide. The drug represented a 2

percent share of Bayer's total revenue. The company's stock dropped 20 percent

in one month after the medication was pulled from shelves in August 2001.

· Prempro, manufactured by Wyeth, connected to cancer,

strokes and heart attacks. The medication was halted from distribution in July

2002, resulting in a 15 percent stock drop. It had represented 15 percent of

Wyeth's sales.

· Vioxx, manufactured by Merck, garnered 11 percent of

the company's total revenue. Within two days of the September announcement it

was being pulled, Merck's stock took a 26 percent drop.

SOURCES: The companies,

Telerate and The Associated Press

For refunds

Vioxx users can get reimbursed for unused medication.

For refunds, Merck and Co., the manufacturer, is asking

users to mail back the unused drug in the original container, along with a

pharmacy receipt, to: NNC Group, Merck Returns, 2670 Executive Drive,

Indianapolis, IN 46241.

A note with the patient's name, address and phone number

should be included. The company will reimburse the cost of the full prescription

plus regular shipping.

More instructions and information are available on the

Internet at www.vioxx.com and www.merck.com or by calling (888) 368-4699.

Doctors are being asked to send back samples, and

pharmacists will be contacted by Merck representatives on returning unsold

inventory.

SOURCE: The Associated Press

" I'm so worried. I'm afraid to take it, " she said, given her family's history of

heart disease. " I'm sure in a few weeks, they'll say it's not good either. "

Frey decided not to take any kind of -2 inhibitor after the Vioxx

announcement on Sept. 30 by the manufacturer, Merck & Co.

" But every bone in my body hurt. So I went back on it yesterday, a half dose, "

she said of Bextra. " It's a question of pain or this: health concerns. "

The Food and Drug Administration approved Vioxx in 1999 to help reduce pain and

inflammation caused by osteoarthritis. A current long-term Vioxx study by Merck

into the drug's colon cancer-prevention qualities backfired, revealing what past

studies also showed -- an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The FDA in

2002 required that Vioxx labels listed that information.

Dr. Fulton, a Daytona Beach orthopedist, said he doesn't recommend the

long-term use of any of the -2 inhibitors, prescribing them usually for no

more than 10 days.

" We work more with exercise intervention, " he said. " We use them as an aid to

get back to exercising. "

Dr. Offenberg, an Ormond Beach rheumatologist, said he was not a fan of

Vioxx, given the medical concerns that arose from past studies.

" We just didn't know why, and it's still unclear, " he said. " But this news was

not new. It was not a major surprise. "

Offenberg said only about 3 percent of his patients were taking Vioxx, usually

arthritis sufferers who had been placed on the drug by another doctor and were

doing well.

He said studies of Celebrex and Bextra, which differed from Vioxx in how they

were conducted, did not reveal any heart risk.

" It's probably unlikely they'll be taken off the market, " he said.

But until the FDA does a controlled study of all -2 inhibitors, Offenberg

said the question remains " if it's a one-drug problem or a class problem. "

For that reason, the doctor said he prefers prescribing a variety of effective

generic drugs for most of his arthritis patients. Those drugs might be harder on

the stomach, but he said they are easier on the pocketbook, costing up to three

times less than Vioxx.

Randy Margrave, a clinical pharmacist at Holly Hill Pharmacy, has a different

take on the safety of Vioxx and other -2 inhibitors.

He said the earlier drugs of choice for many arthritis sufferers, which included

aspirin and ibuprofen, benefited the heart, thinning the blood. Vioxx didn't.

" It's not because of the drug, " he said of heart problems being attributed to

Vioxx. " It's because of the protection they got from aspirin. If people took a

baby aspirin with Vioxx, the studies would never have been skewed. "

Meanwhile, 53-year-old Cheryl Gurley, a registered nurse from Flagler Beach, is

feeling the pain.

" I want my Vioxx back and I want it now, " she said, laughing.

Bextra and Advil don't provide the same relief for the arthritis in her hands,

neck and lower back. And while older people might be at risk, she says her heart

wasn't damaged by Vioxx.

" It was a really good medicine for me, " Gurley said. " I still have 10 left. I'm

so tempted. "

ray.weiss@...

..

[Guest guest]

[Power Hour II] Patients fill Vioxx vacancy Doctors debate value of

other treatments

http://www.news-journalonline.com/cgi-bin/printme.asp

Originally appeared on News-Journal Online at

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/03AreaEAST0110170\

4.htm |

Patients fill Vioxx vacancy

Doctors debate value of other treatments

By RAY WEISS

Staff Writer

Last update: October 17, 2004

Frey doesn't know what's worse, the pain or the uncertainty.

Like millions of arthritis sufferers, she was a long-time user of Vioxx, the

popular painkiller that was pulled from the market two weeks ago because of an

increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

On her doctor's recommendation, Frey, 57, switched in February from Vioxx to

Bextra, another in a family of anti-inflammatory drugs that also includes

Celebrex.

Now she wonders if Bextra is safe.

Did you know?

Just as a promising new drug can send a stock price

soaring, a recall or negative findings in a study can devastate a pharmaceutical

company's outlook, especially if the product represents a large part of the

company's revenue. Here are three examples of once-popular drugs that fell out

of favor:

· Lipobay/Baycol, distributed by Bayer, muscle

discomfort linked to at least 40 deaths worldwide. The drug represented a 2

percent share of Bayer's total revenue. The company's stock dropped 20 percent

in one month after the medication was pulled from shelves in August 2001.

· Prempro, manufactured by Wyeth, connected to cancer,

strokes and heart attacks. The medication was halted from distribution in July

2002, resulting in a 15 percent stock drop. It had represented 15 percent of

Wyeth's sales.

· Vioxx, manufactured by Merck, garnered 11 percent of

the company's total revenue. Within two days of the September announcement it

was being pulled, Merck's stock took a 26 percent drop.

SOURCES: The companies,

Telerate and The Associated Press

For refunds

Vioxx users can get reimbursed for unused medication.

For refunds, Merck and Co., the manufacturer, is asking

users to mail back the unused drug in the original container, along with a

pharmacy receipt, to: NNC Group, Merck Returns, 2670 Executive Drive,

Indianapolis, IN 46241.

A note with the patient's name, address and phone number

should be included. The company will reimburse the cost of the full prescription

plus regular shipping.

More instructions and information are available on the

Internet at www.vioxx.com and www.merck.com or by calling (888) 368-4699.

Doctors are being asked to send back samples, and

pharmacists will be contacted by Merck representatives on returning unsold

inventory.

SOURCE: The Associated Press

" I'm so worried. I'm afraid to take it, " she said, given her family's history of

heart disease. " I'm sure in a few weeks, they'll say it's not good either. "

Frey decided not to take any kind of -2 inhibitor after the Vioxx

announcement on Sept. 30 by the manufacturer, Merck & Co.

" But every bone in my body hurt. So I went back on it yesterday, a half dose, "

she said of Bextra. " It's a question of pain or this: health concerns. "

The Food and Drug Administration approved Vioxx in 1999 to help reduce pain and

inflammation caused by osteoarthritis. A current long-term Vioxx study by Merck

into the drug's colon cancer-prevention qualities backfired, revealing what past

studies also showed -- an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The FDA in

2002 required that Vioxx labels listed that information.

Dr. Fulton, a Daytona Beach orthopedist, said he doesn't recommend the

long-term use of any of the -2 inhibitors, prescribing them usually for no

more than 10 days.

" We work more with exercise intervention, " he said. " We use them as an aid to

get back to exercising. "

Dr. Offenberg, an Ormond Beach rheumatologist, said he was not a fan of

Vioxx, given the medical concerns that arose from past studies.

" We just didn't know why, and it's still unclear, " he said. " But this news was

not new. It was not a major surprise. "

Offenberg said only about 3 percent of his patients were taking Vioxx, usually

arthritis sufferers who had been placed on the drug by another doctor and were

doing well.

He said studies of Celebrex and Bextra, which differed from Vioxx in how they

were conducted, did not reveal any heart risk.

" It's probably unlikely they'll be taken off the market, " he said.

But until the FDA does a controlled study of all -2 inhibitors, Offenberg

said the question remains " if it's a one-drug problem or a class problem. "

For that reason, the doctor said he prefers prescribing a variety of effective

generic drugs for most of his arthritis patients. Those drugs might be harder on

the stomach, but he said they are easier on the pocketbook, costing up to three

times less than Vioxx.

Randy Margrave, a clinical pharmacist at Holly Hill Pharmacy, has a different

take on the safety of Vioxx and other -2 inhibitors.

He said the earlier drugs of choice for many arthritis sufferers, which included

aspirin and ibuprofen, benefited the heart, thinning the blood. Vioxx didn't.

" It's not because of the drug, " he said of heart problems being attributed to

Vioxx. " It's because of the protection they got from aspirin. If people took a

baby aspirin with Vioxx, the studies would never have been skewed. "

Meanwhile, 53-year-old Cheryl Gurley, a registered nurse from Flagler Beach, is

feeling the pain.

" I want my Vioxx back and I want it now, " she said, laughing.

Bextra and Advil don't provide the same relief for the arthritis in her hands,

neck and lower back. And while older people might be at risk, she says her heart

wasn't damaged by Vioxx.

" It was a really good medicine for me, " Gurley said. " I still have 10 left. I'm

so tempted. "

ray.weiss@...

..

[Guest guest]

[Power Hour II] Patients fill Vioxx vacancy Doctors debate value of

other treatments

http://www.news-journalonline.com/cgi-bin/printme.asp

Originally appeared on News-Journal Online at

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/03AreaEAST0110170\

4.htm |

Patients fill Vioxx vacancy

Doctors debate value of other treatments

By RAY WEISS

Staff Writer

Last update: October 17, 2004

Frey doesn't know what's worse, the pain or the uncertainty.

Like millions of arthritis sufferers, she was a long-time user of Vioxx, the

popular painkiller that was pulled from the market two weeks ago because of an

increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

On her doctor's recommendation, Frey, 57, switched in February from Vioxx to

Bextra, another in a family of anti-inflammatory drugs that also includes

Celebrex.

Now she wonders if Bextra is safe.

Did you know?

Just as a promising new drug can send a stock price

soaring, a recall or negative findings in a study can devastate a pharmaceutical

company's outlook, especially if the product represents a large part of the

company's revenue. Here are three examples of once-popular drugs that fell out

of favor:

· Lipobay/Baycol, distributed by Bayer, muscle

discomfort linked to at least 40 deaths worldwide. The drug represented a 2

percent share of Bayer's total revenue. The company's stock dropped 20 percent

in one month after the medication was pulled from shelves in August 2001.

· Prempro, manufactured by Wyeth, connected to cancer,

strokes and heart attacks. The medication was halted from distribution in July

2002, resulting in a 15 percent stock drop. It had represented 15 percent of

Wyeth's sales.

· Vioxx, manufactured by Merck, garnered 11 percent of

the company's total revenue. Within two days of the September announcement it

was being pulled, Merck's stock took a 26 percent drop.

SOURCES: The companies,

Telerate and The Associated Press

For refunds

Vioxx users can get reimbursed for unused medication.

For refunds, Merck and Co., the manufacturer, is asking

users to mail back the unused drug in the original container, along with a

pharmacy receipt, to: NNC Group, Merck Returns, 2670 Executive Drive,

Indianapolis, IN 46241.

A note with the patient's name, address and phone number

should be included. The company will reimburse the cost of the full prescription

plus regular shipping.

More instructions and information are available on the

Internet at www.vioxx.com and www.merck.com or by calling (888) 368-4699.

Doctors are being asked to send back samples, and

pharmacists will be contacted by Merck representatives on returning unsold

inventory.

SOURCE: The Associated Press

" I'm so worried. I'm afraid to take it, " she said, given her family's history of

heart disease. " I'm sure in a few weeks, they'll say it's not good either. "

Frey decided not to take any kind of -2 inhibitor after the Vioxx

announcement on Sept. 30 by the manufacturer, Merck & Co.

" But every bone in my body hurt. So I went back on it yesterday, a half dose, "

she said of Bextra. " It's a question of pain or this: health concerns. "

The Food and Drug Administration approved Vioxx in 1999 to help reduce pain and

inflammation caused by osteoarthritis. A current long-term Vioxx study by Merck

into the drug's colon cancer-prevention qualities backfired, revealing what past

studies also showed -- an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The FDA in

2002 required that Vioxx labels listed that information.

Dr. Fulton, a Daytona Beach orthopedist, said he doesn't recommend the

long-term use of any of the -2 inhibitors, prescribing them usually for no

more than 10 days.

" We work more with exercise intervention, " he said. " We use them as an aid to

get back to exercising. "

Dr. Offenberg, an Ormond Beach rheumatologist, said he was not a fan of

Vioxx, given the medical concerns that arose from past studies.

" We just didn't know why, and it's still unclear, " he said. " But this news was

not new. It was not a major surprise. "

Offenberg said only about 3 percent of his patients were taking Vioxx, usually

arthritis sufferers who had been placed on the drug by another doctor and were

doing well.

He said studies of Celebrex and Bextra, which differed from Vioxx in how they

were conducted, did not reveal any heart risk.

" It's probably unlikely they'll be taken off the market, " he said.

But until the FDA does a controlled study of all -2 inhibitors, Offenberg

said the question remains " if it's a one-drug problem or a class problem. "

For that reason, the doctor said he prefers prescribing a variety of effective

generic drugs for most of his arthritis patients. Those drugs might be harder on

the stomach, but he said they are easier on the pocketbook, costing up to three

times less than Vioxx.

Randy Margrave, a clinical pharmacist at Holly Hill Pharmacy, has a different

take on the safety of Vioxx and other -2 inhibitors.

He said the earlier drugs of choice for many arthritis sufferers, which included

aspirin and ibuprofen, benefited the heart, thinning the blood. Vioxx didn't.

" It's not because of the drug, " he said of heart problems being attributed to

Vioxx. " It's because of the protection they got from aspirin. If people took a

baby aspirin with Vioxx, the studies would never have been skewed. "

Meanwhile, 53-year-old Cheryl Gurley, a registered nurse from Flagler Beach, is

feeling the pain.

" I want my Vioxx back and I want it now, " she said, laughing.

Bextra and Advil don't provide the same relief for the arthritis in her hands,

neck and lower back. And while older people might be at risk, she says her heart

wasn't damaged by Vioxx.

" It was a really good medicine for me, " Gurley said. " I still have 10 left. I'm

so tempted. "

ray.weiss@...

..

[Guest guest]

[Power Hour II] Patients fill Vioxx vacancy Doctors debate value of

other treatments

http://www.news-journalonline.com/cgi-bin/printme.asp

Originally appeared on News-Journal Online at

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/03AreaEAST0110170\

4.htm |

Patients fill Vioxx vacancy

Doctors debate value of other treatments

By RAY WEISS

Staff Writer

Last update: October 17, 2004

Frey doesn't know what's worse, the pain or the uncertainty.

Like millions of arthritis sufferers, she was a long-time user of Vioxx, the

popular painkiller that was pulled from the market two weeks ago because of an

increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

On her doctor's recommendation, Frey, 57, switched in February from Vioxx to

Bextra, another in a family of anti-inflammatory drugs that also includes

Celebrex.

Now she wonders if Bextra is safe.

Did you know?

Just as a promising new drug can send a stock price

soaring, a recall or negative findings in a study can devastate a pharmaceutical

company's outlook, especially if the product represents a large part of the

company's revenue. Here are three examples of once-popular drugs that fell out

of favor:

· Lipobay/Baycol, distributed by Bayer, muscle

discomfort linked to at least 40 deaths worldwide. The drug represented a 2

percent share of Bayer's total revenue. The company's stock dropped 20 percent

in one month after the medication was pulled from shelves in August 2001.

· Prempro, manufactured by Wyeth, connected to cancer,

strokes and heart attacks. The medication was halted from distribution in July

2002, resulting in a 15 percent stock drop. It had represented 15 percent of

Wyeth's sales.

· Vioxx, manufactured by Merck, garnered 11 percent of

the company's total revenue. Within two days of the September announcement it

was being pulled, Merck's stock took a 26 percent drop.

SOURCES: The companies,

Telerate and The Associated Press

For refunds

Vioxx users can get reimbursed for unused medication.

For refunds, Merck and Co., the manufacturer, is asking

users to mail back the unused drug in the original container, along with a

pharmacy receipt, to: NNC Group, Merck Returns, 2670 Executive Drive,

Indianapolis, IN 46241.

A note with the patient's name, address and phone number

should be included. The company will reimburse the cost of the full prescription

plus regular shipping.

More instructions and information are available on the

Internet at www.vioxx.com and www.merck.com or by calling (888) 368-4699.

Doctors are being asked to send back samples, and

pharmacists will be contacted by Merck representatives on returning unsold

inventory.

SOURCE: The Associated Press

" I'm so worried. I'm afraid to take it, " she said, given her family's history of

heart disease. " I'm sure in a few weeks, they'll say it's not good either. "

Frey decided not to take any kind of -2 inhibitor after the Vioxx

announcement on Sept. 30 by the manufacturer, Merck & Co.

" But every bone in my body hurt. So I went back on it yesterday, a half dose, "

she said of Bextra. " It's a question of pain or this: health concerns. "

The Food and Drug Administration approved Vioxx in 1999 to help reduce pain and

inflammation caused by osteoarthritis. A current long-term Vioxx study by Merck

into the drug's colon cancer-prevention qualities backfired, revealing what past

studies also showed -- an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The FDA in

2002 required that Vioxx labels listed that information.

Dr. Fulton, a Daytona Beach orthopedist, said he doesn't recommend the

long-term use of any of the -2 inhibitors, prescribing them usually for no

more than 10 days.

" We work more with exercise intervention, " he said. " We use them as an aid to

get back to exercising. "

Dr. Offenberg, an Ormond Beach rheumatologist, said he was not a fan of

Vioxx, given the medical concerns that arose from past studies.

" We just didn't know why, and it's still unclear, " he said. " But this news was

not new. It was not a major surprise. "

Offenberg said only about 3 percent of his patients were taking Vioxx, usually

arthritis sufferers who had been placed on the drug by another doctor and were

doing well.

He said studies of Celebrex and Bextra, which differed from Vioxx in how they

were conducted, did not reveal any heart risk.

" It's probably unlikely they'll be taken off the market, " he said.

But until the FDA does a controlled study of all -2 inhibitors, Offenberg

said the question remains " if it's a one-drug problem or a class problem. "

For that reason, the doctor said he prefers prescribing a variety of effective

generic drugs for most of his arthritis patients. Those drugs might be harder on

the stomach, but he said they are easier on the pocketbook, costing up to three

times less than Vioxx.

Randy Margrave, a clinical pharmacist at Holly Hill Pharmacy, has a different

take on the safety of Vioxx and other -2 inhibitors.

He said the earlier drugs of choice for many arthritis sufferers, which included

aspirin and ibuprofen, benefited the heart, thinning the blood. Vioxx didn't.

" It's not because of the drug, " he said of heart problems being attributed to

Vioxx. " It's because of the protection they got from aspirin. If people took a

baby aspirin with Vioxx, the studies would never have been skewed. "

Meanwhile, 53-year-old Cheryl Gurley, a registered nurse from Flagler Beach, is

feeling the pain.

" I want my Vioxx back and I want it now, " she said, laughing.

Bextra and Advil don't provide the same relief for the arthritis in her hands,

neck and lower back. And while older people might be at risk, she says her heart

wasn't damaged by Vioxx.

" It was a really good medicine for me, " Gurley said. " I still have 10 left. I'm

so tempted. "

ray.weiss@...

..