What is Vioxx?

On September 30, 2004, Merck & Co. sent shock-waves through the drug industry and medical community when it announced that it was voluntarily withdrawing its popular drug, Vioxx (rofecoxib), from the U.S. and worldwide market due to safety concerns surrounding an apparent increased risk of cardiovascular events (including heart attack and stroke) in patients taking Vioxx.

Vioxx is one of several pharmaceuticals that form a class of drugs called selective COX-2 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's). Other drugs in this class include Celebrex (celecoxib), and Bextra (valdecoxib). Vioxx is also related to the non-selective NSAID's such as ibuprofen and naproxen. Vioxx was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in may 1999 to relieve the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis, for the management of acute pain in adults, and for the treatment of menstrual symptoms. Vioxx was subsequently approved for the relief of rheumatoid arthritis in both adults and children as well. At the time of its recall, many experts called Vioxx one of the most popular prescription drugs in the U.S. Some estimates have suggested that as many as 20 million people have been prescribed the drug since it was launched. Vioxx was reportedly marketed and sold in more than 80 countries worldwide (in some other countries, it was apparently marketed under the name CEOXX). Some figures suggest that Merck's worldwide sales of Vioxx topped $2.5 billion in 2003 alone. Which ever figures you believe, it is clear that Vioxx was a popular, widely prescribed drug.