Yet more evidence has just come to light about the dangers of the painkiller Vioxx (rofecoxib), which was withdrawn from the market in 2004 after it was found to cause heart failure.
Apparently it was doing the very same thing to cancer patients, who were being given the drug after surgery.
A new study among 2,327 patients with colorectal cancer found that Vioxx nearly trebled the chances of cardiovascular problems, and usually within 14 days of first starting the drug.
Although the trial was stopped in September, 2004 when Vioxx was taken off the market, researchers in the VICTOR (Vioxx in Colorectal Cancer Therapy) study decided to continue monitoring the health of the patients for the following two years.
The trend continued, and another six patients who were given Vioxx developed cardiovascular problems.
(Source: New England Journal of Medicine, 2007; 357: 360-8).
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