How many died on 911? How many have died from Vioxx?

[Gabi Hayes]

we all know the terror and death resulting from 911.

how many have died because Merck covered up their knowledge of the dangers of long-term Vioxx use?

remember how *head last year decried the use of those dangerous steroids in his SOTU?

do a little digging and see what you can come up with on those Vioxx numbers; it's much worse than has been originally reported

talk about the war on (corporate) terror.......

[sir_captain]

1. It's impossible to know

there seems to be a correlation between Vioxx and increased risk of heart problems. But that's very different from a *causal* link--it will never be possible to prove exactly how many people the drug killed. This doesn't make it any better, of course...

[Gabi Hayes]

2. interesting, but what about this?

Vioxx death toll higher than Iraq War and 911
Many experts are getting increasingly concerned that the close ties of Merck with the current administration may make it difficult for Americans to get full justice in the Vioxx case. While over 25,000 deaths are being tied to Vioxx, the administration has barely talked about it. Chat rooms and bulletin boards are already buzzing with angry Americans who are comparing the death toll to that in Iraq war (~1000) and 9/11 (~3000).

It is no surprise since drug manufacturers increased their contributions to Republicans nearly 600% from 1992 to 2002. It has also spent hundreds of millions more on an army of more than 600 lobbyists to work its will on Capitol Hill. According to NJCA Program Director Staci Berger, Merck aired misleading ads about its pharmaceuticals at the same time that it made significant contributions to national campaigns. Merck CEO Raymond Gilmartin is very active in Republican circles and has been a serious contributor as shown in the chart below:


http://www.mynippon.com/vioxx/2004/11/vioxx-death-toll-higher-than-iraq-war.html

then....looks like 25K is way, way low:

It appears that the number of deaths caused by Vioxx will be revised upwards to between 89,000 to 139,000 (the data is for the United States alone). Andrew Jack of the Financial Times who interviewed Dr. David Graham, an expert at the FDA, is reporting that the data is likely to be published in the medical journal The Lancet.

In the initial estimates provided by the FDA, 27,785 heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths between 1999 and 2003 were attributed to Vioxx. Dr. Graham has provided these estimates in subsequent statements and since then most analysts have put worldwide deaths to be somewhere in the range of 150,000 to 200,000.

It may be pointed out that since his testimony before Congress, Dr. David Graham is fighting to keep his job. The FDA, which has literally been hijacked by the drug industry, does not want any data to be released that exposes the mess at the agency. Dr. Graham has been able to keep his job so far after lawmakers intervened and he sought protection as a whistleblower, but it seems that he really has no support within the agency or in the Bush administration. Several spokespersons in the administration, instead of admitting grave errors at the FDA, have said that the agency was actually doing a "spectacular job" of protecting the public. In his interview with FT, Dr. Graham is quoted as saying that he suspects that he might lose his job for publishing these findings. (Related article: Vioxx recall exposes the mess at the FDA)

http://www.mynippon.com/vioxx/2005/01/vioxx-death-estimate-revised-upwards.html

lots of other links about this out there

you be the judge

point is, nobody denies that the number of deaths from vioxx dwarfs those killed in 911

check what the possible legal liabilities for Merck might be...no wonder they want to get rid of any remaining legal recourse

[sir_captain]

5. I'd like to see the reasoning

behind those numbers. I cannot even begin to imagine how one could statistically conclusively attribute heart attacks to a single drug--I say this as a researcher of heart disease: this is the stuff I think about all day. There are nearly an infinite number of factors that lead to heart disease, and Vioxx usage is almost definitely one of them.

In any case, I'll reserve judgement until I see this stuff from the FDA, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Thanks for the info, though.

[DalvaThree]

3. no reason to freak

:freak: :freak: :freak:

[Gabi Hayes]

4. no reason to get excited, the thief he kindly spoke

there are many here among us who think that * is but a joke

[DalvaThree]

6. freeeaaaaakkkkkk OUT!

Ah, freak out
Le freak, c'est chic
Freak out
Ah, freak out
Le freak, c'est chic
Freak out

Have you heard about the new dance craze
Listen to us, I'm sure you'll be amazed
Big fun to be had by everyone
It's up to you, it surely can be done
Young and old are doing it, I'm told
Just one try, and you too will be sold
It's called Le Freak, they're doing it night and day
Allow us, we'll show you the way

Ah, freak out
Le freak, c'est chic
Freak out

All that pressure got you down
Has your head spinning all around
Feel the rhythm, check the ride
Come on along and have a real good time
Like the days of stomping at the Savoy
Now we freak, oh what a joy
Just come on down, two fifty four
Find a spot out on the floor

Ah, freak out
Le freak, c'est chic
Freak out

Now freak

I said freak

Now freak

:freak: :freak: :freak:

[Gabi Hayes]

7. Arianna on Vioxx

As Democrats continue to search heaven and earth for a moral values issue they can call their own, I have just the prescription: Why not start with the immoral behavior of giant drug companies such as Merck that continue to sacrifice the health of the public on the altar of higher and higher profits?

According to last week's Senate testimony by Dr. David Graham, associate director for science and medicine in the FDA's Office of Drug Safety, as many as 55,000 patients may have died as a result of taking Vioxx. Shocking. But not to Merck, which had spent hundreds of millions of dollars convincing Americans to take its blockbuster pain pill even though the company's own studies showed that it greatly increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes.


If Democrats want to appeal to voters who believe in promoting what the president calls "a culture of life," they should make it a priority to put an end to the kind of corporate behavior that promotes a culture of death.

Merck's actions throughout the entire Vioxx affair have been utterly despicable. When the company pulled the drug off the market in September, CEO Raymond Gilmartin claimed that the scientific findings that led to the withdrawal were "unexpected." Which is like releasing a ravenous wolf into a pen full of sheep then acting surprised that lamb chops are on the menu. Because recently uncovered internal Merck documents show that as far back as 1998 -- a year before the drug was even approved by the FDA -- the drug giant had evidence indicating that Vioxx was a potential killer.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/huffington/2004/11/25/vioxx/