Group Claims Merck Failed to Warn Hispanics in Spanish About Vioxx Cardio Risks

"As embattled pharmaceutical giant Merck attempts to recover over the fallout of its pain reliever Vioxx, Consejo de Latinos Unidos, a national non-profit organization which educates and assists Latinos and others, will release an investigative study conducted in Puerto Rico that shows that Hispanics patients and physicians appear to have never been informed in Spanish about the cardiovascular risks of Vioxx" [PRNewswire]

Times Argus

"Barbara Birmingham faced a busy weekend recently, so she went into her medicine cabinet for a fix: a couple of doses of a medication that had been pulled from the market for safety reasons. Her leftover supply of the drug enabled her to get through the weekend. When she told her doctor what she had done, she says, he scolded her."

Merck Updates Vioxx Legal Saga

"As the number of Vioxx-related cases mounts, Merck (MRK:NYSE - commentary - research) is discovering that some of its insurers don't want to pay for the company's defense against the lawsuits. Merck says it will fight the insurers' efforts to reduce or eliminate coverage." [TheStreet.com]

Consumer Confusion Persists on Painkillers' Safety

"Following months of public wrangling over the safety of cox-2 inhibitors and even with a federal advisory panel's endorsement to keep them on the market, consumers are still as confused as ever about these powerful painkillers." [Forbes.com]