Merck Wins Reversal of Vioxx Ruling in Saskatchewan

From Bloomberg:
Merck & Co., after settling most of its Vioxx lawsuits in the U.S., persuaded an appeals court to halt one of two national group lawsuits in Canada claiming the painkiller caused heart attacks and strokes. The drugmaker still faces trial in Ontario, Canada’s most-populous province.

A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan ruled unanimously yesterday there were too many different issues involved to resolve in a class-action lawsuit and a lower court judge erred in allowing the plaintiffs to proceed as a group.

The case “gives the impression of commonality, where commonality in fact does not exist,” Judge Gene Ann Smith wrote on behalf of the panel.

The ruling bodes well for Canadian plaintiffs because pursuing one national lawsuit, rather than two, may be quicker, Michael Peerless, a lawyer representing the Ontario plaintiffs, said in a telephone interview today. ...more

Canada OKs vaccine to prevent painful shingles in seniors

From CBC News:
Health Canada has approved a vaccine to help prevent painful singles in people 60 or older who had chickenpox earlier in life.

Zostavax, made by Merck Frosst Canada, should be available through doctors and pharmacies starting sometime next year, the company announced Tuesday.

Shingles occurs when the chickenpox virus reactivates after lying dormant in nerve cells, sometimes for decades, and starts reproducing again. In other cases, the virus may stay dormant indefinitely.

Shingles, also called herpes zoster, causes a painful red rash and sensations of tingling, itching and burning. The rash can lead to scarring and the pain can persist in some people for months or years. Up to 20 per cent of adults who have had chickenpox will get shingles later in life. ...more

Studies allege Merck manipulated Vioxx data; journal calls for ethics overhaul

From the Canadian Press:
Two new studies suggest drugmaker Merck and Co. manipulated data on its withdrawn drug Vioxx, was slow to disclose adverse events associated with the painkiller and used academic researchers to enhance the credibility of scientific studies largely written by Merck employees.

The articles were based on company documents made public as a result of thousands of lawsuits levelled against Merck and Co. after it withdrew the former blockbluster medication from worldwide markets in September 2004 because studies revealed people who used it were at higher risk of heart attacks and strokes.

They were published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which also ran a damning editorial calling on everyone in the business of clinical research to pull up their socks, starting with doctors.

"The profession of medicine in every aspect - clinical, education and research - has been inundated with profound influence from the pharmaceutical and medical device industries," editor Dr. Catherine DeAngelis and deputy editor Dr. Phil Fontanarosa wrote. ...more

Merck agrees to US$4.85B settlement over Vioxx

From CTV News:
Merck & Co. has offered to pay US$4.85 billion to end litigation with thousands of U.S. plaintiffs over its painkiller Vioxx.

The agreement applies only to U.S. legal residents and those who allege that a heart attack or stroke they experienced while taking Vioxx occurred in the United States.

In Canada, negotiations continue in a number of class-action cases against the makers of Vioxx.

Mike Peerless, of Siskinds LLP, a law firm that represents hundreds of Canadian plaintiffs in Vioxx class actions, tells CTV that the settlement in the U.S. is a good sign and suggests that the company will want to quickly settle its Vioxx cases in Canada. ...more

Merck rewarded the brave

From the Financial Post:
Merck & Co. Inc. suffered through some dark days a few years ago, soon after it faced the prospect of battling an onslaught of 28,000 lawsuits connected to its now-withdrawn Vioxx painkiller. Turns out, those dark days presented investors with one of the best moments in the past decade to buy this top-rate pharmaceutical giant.

The lesson? Once again, it shows that the best time to invest in a company is when it is on the ropes -- an observation that should prove useful to investors as they sift through some of today's most battered stocks and stock market sectors.

Merck hit the ropes about three years ago, when it withdrew Vioxx from the market after a study showed the drug was linked to higher rates of heart attacks and strokes. ...more

Former Harper adviser lobbying for drug firm

I'm glad the HPV vaccination program cash was included in this week's budget. However, it's really bad optics when a senior PM advisor just started to work for the only company that can benefit from the program.

From the Ottawa Citizen:
A lobbyist with past ties to Prime Minister Stephen Harper was retained last month by the drug company that stands to benefit from a newly announced $300 million in federal funding for a vaccination program to prevent cervical cancer.

Ken Boessenkool, who served as Mr. Harper's senior policy adviser until 2004, registered to lobby the federal government on immunization policy on behalf of Merck Frosst Canada. ...more