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Study backs Merck's Vioxx
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May 24, 2000: 10:56 a.m. ET
Study bolsters claim that new painkiller produces fewer side effects
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - A study released Wednesday shows that Merck & Co. Inc.'s new painkiller Vioxx causes fewer side effects, such as ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, than traditional painkillers, bolstering the drug maker's claims about the benefits of its hot-selling new medication.
In the study of more than 8,000 patients over a 9-to-13 month period, Vioxx reduced the risk of serious gastrointestinal side effects by 54 percent compared with the anti-inflammatory drug naproxen, the Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based company said.
The rate of such side effects was 2.1 percent per year among patients taking Vioxx, compared with 4.5 percent for patients taking naproxen.
Merck (MRK: Research, Estimates) introduced Vioxx last May, several months after Monsanto Co. -- now known as Pharmacia Corp. (PHA: Research, Estimates) -- and co-marketer Pfizer Inc. (PFE: Research, Estimates) introduced Celebrex, the first painkiller in the so-called "Cox-2 inhibitor" category to go on the market. The potent drugs are considered easier on the stomach than other commonly used painkillers.
Vioxx has been approved to treat osteoarthritis, acute pain and severe menstrual pain. The drug recorded sales of $370 million in the first quarter.
The study will be released in San Diego at Digestive Disease Week, a meeting among gastrointestinal specialists.
Shares of Dow component Merck slipped 3/8 to 73-7/16 in early trading Wednesday. 
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Merck & Co.
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