Drug firm Merck & Co ignorance of Vioxx effects 'hard to swallow'

A LONGSTANDING Australian employee of Merck & Co said it was a "bit hard to swallow" to say the pharmaceutical giant was not aware of the possibility that its anti-arthritis drug Vioxx could cause heart attacks.

A LONGSTANDING Australian employee of Merck & Co said it was a "bit hard to swallow" to say the pharmaceutical giant was not aware of the possibility that its anti-arthritis drug Vioxx could cause heart attacks.

An internal email tendered to the Federal Court shows staffer David Loker wrote to the marketing director responsible for Vioxx, Geoffrey Blundell, after the drug was withdrawn to state his concerns over the company's public handling of the issue. The email, written in November 2004, expressed his worry over the company's response to a Nine Network news program alleging Vioxx caused heart attacks.

The correspondence is said to refer to an email mentioned by the program, in which a US research director said cardiovascular problems with the drug "are clearly there" in a 2000 clinical trial.

"As a 25-year Merck employee, I have concerns surrounding the now famous email from our then research director clearly indicating heart attack risks," Mr Loker wrote. "For anyone in this company to say we weren't aware of this possibility years ahead is a bit too much to swallow and will certainly be contributory toward the preponderance of the evidence in our many civil cases."

In a class action against the US company and its Australian subsidiary, Merck, Sharp & Dohme, lead plaintiff Graeme Peterson - on behalf of more than 1000 Australians - blames Vioxx for his heart attack in December 2003. He says Merck knew of the cardiovascular risks of the blockbuster anti-arthritis drug but played it down in the lead-up to Vioxx's voluntary withdrawal in 2004.

Merck is fighting the class action and says it acted appropriately and responsibly.

Other documents tendered to the court reveal a memo was sent to sales staff after the story was broadcast, detailing how to deal with any queries. "It is always sad when a person suffers an adverse event," it suggests as an appropriate response. "As you know ... all medicines have side-effects."

The trial continues next week.