Son of Vioxx: RIP (for now)

Just days ago, I reported to you about the impending FDA decision about Arcoxia, the Cox-2 Inhibitor arthritis drug Merck was pushing to replace their killer Vioxx with…

As you'll recall from that article, the same courageous whistle-blower who sounded the alarm about deadly Vioxx - FDA scientist Dr. David Graham - levied similar heart-health reservations against Arcoxia in front of a recent panel in charge of deciding whether or not to approve the new drug.

Well, wonder of wonders, the FDA has actually DONE THE RIGHT THING HERE…

They shot Arcoxia down, after the aforementioned panel voted 20 to 1 vote against approval.

Of course, this won't hurt Merck much - Cox-2 Arcoxia is already on sale in 63 other countries worldwide. And according to an AP article on the subject, the company intends to keep pushing for a domestic approval…

The decision will probably actually ENHANCE Merck's bottom line.

The longer the new drug stays off the U.S. market, the longer they have to clean up and settle the 11,000-odd lawsuits still pending against their LAST Cox-2 product.