Personal Injury Law

Exposure of Vioxx “Ghostwriting” Another Example of How Litigation Can Benefit Society (and Why Big Business/Pharma Fears It)

Product liability litigation involving rofecoxib (Vioxx) has led to the disclosure of materials that has provided direct evidence of something that has long been suspected but well-hidden by industry; the manipulation by for-profit manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices of study results, using authors, editors, and reviewers to misrepresent research data and manipulate clinical research articles and clinical reviews. Reports published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA based upon a review of materials disclosed by Merck & Co. in the course of the Vioxx litigation claim Merck & Co. frequently paid academic scientists to take credit for research articles prepared by company-hired medical writers, a practice called “ghostwriting”. The reports also contend Merck tried to minimize deaths in two studies that showed that the now withdrawn Vioxx did not work at treating or preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

Full post as published by Legal Blog on April 21, 2008 (boomark / email).