Risks of Vioxx
Pills and pillows pernicious
Trials and fibulations
As I mentioned in the last Daily Dose (and in a Daily Dose article a few weeks ago), the second Vioxx trial to have gone the distance in court ended with a decision holding Merck not responsible in any way for a New Jersey plaintiff’s heart attack.
Yes, this is bad news, from a Big Pharma accountability standpoint. However, in accounts of those proceedings, I noticed something that points directly to the flawed (more like fraud) nature of drug research
According to a Reuters story on this latest case, Merck’s lawyers claimed that the reason a 1999 Vioxx study which clearly showed a five-fold increase in heart attacks didn’t raise any red flags about the drug’s risks is because the research in question was a comparison study between Vioxx and common pain reliever naproxen (over-the-counter Aleve). Let me explain how this is significant:
Supposedly (and oh so conveniently, as you’ll discover in a minute), it was “assumed” by Merck’s researchers that the difference in coronary risk between the two study groups was due to some miraculous, heretofore unknown heart-protective property of naproxen, NOT any ticker-terrorizing effects of Vioxx. As I said, convenient. Fishy, too. Here’s why
For one thing, if common, cheap, garden-variety naproxen were a heart tonic capable of slashing the risk of coronary events to ONE-FIFTH of the normal rate – which is, in essence, exactly what Merck’s lawyers are claiming – don’t you think we’d already know about it? Don’t you think the makers of Aleve (Bayer) would be trumpeting this fact 24/7? Don’t you think doctors would be doling out naproxen to anyone with a heart?
Of course.
So I ask you: How is it that the high-tech research department at one of the world’s biggest drug companies didn’t know that naproxen not only isn’t a heart tonic, but may in fact be implicated in heart risks of its own (one naproxen Alzheimer’s study was even halted by the Feds because of an increased stroke and heart attack risk)?
The answer: It ISN’T possible, by any stretch of reason. Merck is simply maintaining this ridiculous notion because it has been caught red-handed in a purposeful distortion of facts to promote a killer drug, and they’re manipulating their interpretation of incriminating studies to absolve themselves of liability in the 7,000 or so remaining Vioxx cases
Which begs the question: If Merck isn’t ultimately found guilty of mass gross negligence, aren’t they at least guilty of fraud for intentionally misinterpreting research? Honestly, I don’t know how they sleep at night. It’s sickening.
And speaking of sleeping and getting sick
****************************************************
Snoring up spores?
I’ve written before about allergens, toxins, parasites, microorganisms and killer bacteria in the home before. But a new study from the University of Manchester shows how these kinds of hazards might literally be right under our noses – as we sleep
In our pillows.
The research found that once used for 1.5 years or more, both feather and synthetic pillows contained several thousands fungal spores per gram of weight – adding up to well over a million per pillow. Published in the journal Allergy, the team’s findings also pinpointed as many as 16 different varieties of spores per sample, with consistently higher numbers coming from synthetic pillows.
Especially disturbing is the prevalence of the aspergillus fumigatus fungus (it was the most common species found), one of the leading causes of death in leukemia patients and those who have undergone bone marrow transplants. According to the UK’s Fungal Research Trust, 1 in 25 of those who die in European teaching hospitals have been infected by invasive aspergillosis. The spore can also worsen asthma and trigger allergic sinusitis
Actions to take: For best pulmonary health, replace your old pillow with a new feather (or buckwheat husk) pillow – and contact a pharmacy or hospital supply store for a stock of plastic pillow covers. You can install these under the pillow case (the thicker the case, the better), so it won’t feel all hospital-ish when you sleep on it.
Speaking free and breathing freer,
William Campbell Douglass II, MD
