Merck ignored Vioxx safety doubts of own scientists

You might recall Merck scientist, Briggs Morrison. He testified as a witness on behalf of Merck but after it was found out that he was not an expert in the area that he was testifying about, Judge Carol Higbee got so mad at the defense attorneys for misleading her that she threw out his testimony.

Well, things are still not going so well for Morrison. He is now being trashed by his own colleagues because in an email that he wrote in 2001, he said that Merck engaged in "wishful thinking" when it claimed that no evidence linked its painkiller Vioxx to heart attacks. He was merely saying what everyone outside the company already knew but Merck, with the use of its slick advertising, was able to drown their voices.

So how does Merck react to his disclosure of the truth about the dangers of Vioxx? Alise Reicin attacked him by calling him as the "worst critic." In other words, some company researchers were so delusional that not only did they chose to ignore hard data but also the doubts of their own scientists.

According to the FDA, as many as 140,000 Americans alone have been injured after taking Vioxx and about 60,000 are dead.

Related article: Merck keeps saying contradictory things about safety of Vioxx