aus der NY Times, habe noch nichts auf Deutsch gefunden.

Merck Pulls Vioxx Painkiller From Market, and Stock Plunges
By TERENCE NEILAN

Published: September 30, 2004

Merck & Company announced today that it was immediately pulling its arthritis and acute pain medication Vioxx from the worldwide market after data from a clinical trial showed that the drug produced an increased risk for heart attacks and strokes.

"We are taking this action because we believe it best serves the interests of patients," the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Merck, Raymond V. Gilmartin, said in a statement on the New Jersey company's Web site.

"Although we believe it would have been possible to continue to market Vioxx with labeling that would incorporate these new data, given the availability of alternative therapies, and the questions raised by the data, we concluded that a voluntary withdrawal is the responsible course to take."

Merck's shares plunged by more than $12 to as low as $32.46 when trading opened on the New York Stock Exchange this morning, and the stock remained down by about 25 percent in early trading — reducing the company's market capitalization by about $26 billion.

Shares of Pfizer, maker of Celebrex, Vioxx's main competitor, were up $1.24 to $31.50, at the opening, but fell back to $30.50 in early trading..

The Vioxx risk came to light during a three-year trial designed to evaluate the efficacy of taking the drug in preventing a recurrence of colorectal polyps in patients with a history of benign colorectal tumors, the company said.

Merck found that after 18 months of treatment, patients taking Vioxx were at greater risk for heart attacks compared with those taking a placebo.

At a news conference in New York this morning, Merck officials said they received the data last friday and examined it over the weekend, holding meetings with various medical experts.Officials informed the board of directors Tuesday morning and later that day met with the F.D.A. to inform it of their intentions. The company then informed other regulatory agencies around the world.

Mr. Gilmartin asserted that Merck remained "very strong financially." He said there would be no need to close any plants based on this action. "We had anticipated expanding the sales forces," he said. "This will allow us to redeploy our sales force instead of hiring new employees, and researchers and scientists associated with Vioxx will be able to deployed elsewhere."

But he acknowledged that he expected some people to leave the company. In reply to a question, he said he would not resign.

Mr. Gilmartin said he expected earnings per share to be "negatively affected by 50 to 60 cents" a share, and as a results they were pulling back on its third-quarter earnings estimate.

Merck officials declined to speculate on potential litigation against the company or the impact it might have.

Mr. Gilmartin said Merck would undertake "many pro-active steps" to inform patients of the recall, including placing advertisements in newspapers. Information can be found on the Web sites merck.com and vioxx.com.

The Merck clinical trial confirmed the findings of a Food and Drug Administration investigator who reported similar risks with the drug in August.

The difference in heart risk was statistically significant between a recommended dose of Vioxx, 25 milligrams a day or less, and Celebrex, according to results the investigator, Dr. David Graham, presented Aug. 25 at a conference in France of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology.

The study also found that Vioxx doses in excess of 25 milligrams a day more than tripled the risk, compared with patients who had not taken painkillers within the past two months.

He said his findings did not reflect the F.D.A.'s official position.

At that time, Merck disagreed with the results of the study, a spokeswoman, Mary Elizabeth Blake, said. Conclusions from that type of examination do not carry as much weight as results from a study comparing two groups of patients actually taking the medicines for a set period, she said. Vioxx was launched in the United States in 1999 and has been marketed in more than 80 countries, Merck said. In some countries, the product is marketed under the trademark Ceoxx. Worldwide sales of Vioxx in 2003 amounted to $2.5 billion, the company statement said.

"While the cause of these results is uncertain at this time, they suggest an increased risk of confirmed cardiovascular events beginning after 18 months of continuous therapy," Peter S. Kim, Ph.D., president of Merck Research Laboratories, said in the Web site statement. "While we recognize that Vioxx benefited many patients, we believe this action is appropriate."