Could there someday be a pain pill that is safe both for the heart and the stomach?
Merck was hit today with a one-two punch in two separate court decisions relating to its withdrawn pain pill Vioxx.
Confronting the drug safety debate head-on, Pfizer will advertise its pain pill Celebrex to consumers for the first time in two years.
But the company insisted the risk was an illusion caused by comparing Vioxx with naproxen, another pain pill they said protected the heart.
Once again, Merck's legal battle over its withdrawn pain pill, Vioxx, is magnifying a scientific quibble into a major problem for the embattled drug giant.
But the withdrawn pain pill Vioxx, for which Merck is still facing thousands of lawsuits, is a reminder that problems with one company's drug can hurt rivals as well.
The huge reserve may lead investors to worry about other drugs facing litigation--particularly Vioxx, the withdrawn pain pill from Merck (nyse: MRK - news - people ).
It's still too early to give a prognosis for Merck, but the company is still having some worrisome symptoms a year and a half after it pulled the pain pill Vioxx.
The FDA, he said, had ignored warnings that the pain pill Vioxx was killing people by causing heart attacks and strokes--and he said the agency was incapable of defending the public against another drug disaster.
Last week, the FDA went against another recommendation from one of its panels by pushing Pfizer (nyse: PFE - news - people ) to pull its arthritis pain pill Bextra off the market.
The drug giant is facing thousands of personal injury lawsuits related to its withdrawn pain pill Vioxx, and its cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor lost patent protection this summer, allowing cheap generics to eat away at its sales.
His persona is the culmination of the careful lessons he learned from his long climb to the top and his masterful legal defense against the lawsuits related to the pain pill Vioxx, which saved Merck and got him the top job.
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In one speech, he questioned whether it made sense to get your tonsils out if a pill to relieve the pain would suffice.
According to the companies, the FDA sent a complete response letter regarding the trial-stage drug Horizant, which is in the form of an extended-release pill taken to lessen pain caused by the condition.
Pfizer's new TV ads for Celebrex, instead of just focusing on how the pill can effectively ease arthritis pain, as earlier ones did, take care to talk about side effects directly and argue that Celebrex still represents a good option for some patients.
Merck is conducting huge studies to prove that its current pain medication, Vioxx, and a next-generation pill, Arcoxia, are safe for the heart.
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