First, Merck holds that the only clear demonstration of Vioxx risk was in the study that resulted in Vioxx being pulled from the market.

FORBES: Merck Outlines Vioxx Defense

You can read more about the study here, but perhaps its real power comes as a demonstration of the shape of things to come.

BBC: Is this the shape of medicine to come?

One study found that federal energy-research spending became more productive when it switched from large-scale demonstration projects to lots of smaller-scale technologies.

ECONOMIST: How the government can help things along