The blockbuster drug Vioxx was pulled from the market in the fall of 2004 after research showed that the painkiller doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke and that its use may have contributed to thousands of deaths in North America.
Now, a new Canadian study shows that the risk was even more dramatic because one in four of the heart attacks that occurred were within two weeks of the start of treatment.
“This demonstrates that cardiovascular risks from taking Vioxx may occur much earlier than previously believed,” said Linda Lévesque, an assistant professor in the department of community health and epidemiology at Queen’s University in Kingston.
At the same time, however, the research shows that additional risk virtually disappears within a month, meaning it is likely safe for long-term use.
The earlier data had suggested that the risk remained elevated for up to 18 months.
The research was published yesterday in the on-line edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
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Tags: assistant professor in the department, Canada, Celebrex, Cox, digestive chemicals, director of the institute, heart attack, heart attacks, ibuprofen, Kingston, McGill University, Merck & Co. Inc., north America, on-line edition, Peter Liu, Quebec, Queen's University in Kingston, scientific director, stroke, the Canadian Medical Association Journal, United States, vioxx
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