Merck Intends to Publish Vioxx Safety Data in Medical Journal
Bloomberg News
November 12, 1998, 7:58 p.m. ET
Merck Intends to Publish Vioxx Safety Data in Medical Journal
San Diego, Nov. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Merck & Co., the world's
biggest drugmaker, said it intends to publish safety data on its
arthritis drug Vioxx in a medical journal, giving the company a
chance to show results it couldn't present at a major conference.
Merck and rival Monsanto Co. presented studies on
experimental arthritis drugs this week at the American College of
Rheumatology meeting in San Diego. They are both developing so-
called Cox-2 drugs, which seem to work without irritating
the stomach as aspirin and other painkillers can.
Monsanto is leading the race to introduce the first of these
drugs. Its drug, Celebrex, could be introduced early next year,
while Merck's Vioxx likely won't reach the market until late in
1999.
Monsanto yesterday presented data, based on looks into
patient's stomachs, to show its Celebrex is less likely to cause
ulcers than current pain relievers. Although Merck had done
similar studies, it didn't present the specific data on them at
the medical conference. Merck said its similar data weren't
complete by the conference's deadline for presentations earlier
this year.
''We hope to publish the data in a good peer-reviewed
journal,'' said Beth Seidenberg, the Merck vice president who is
leading the company's testing of Vioxx.
Merck rose 1 3/8 to 145 3/8 today.
Merck did present other studies on its drug at the
conference, showing how well Vioxx compared with existing
painkillers in treating both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid
arthritis.
Although there has been speculation about edema, or
retention of fluid and swelling of ankles, as a side effect of
Vioxx at the conference, these reports are unfounded, Seidenberg
said. Less than 5 percent of patients had this side effect in
Merck's two large studies of Vioxx in osteoarthritis or in its
smaller study of the drug in rheumatoid arthritis patients,
Seidenberg said.
--Kerry Dooley in the Washington newsroom (202) 624-1820 /ba |
