A round-up of other health news in brief
Irish Times/ Pfizer debate tomorrow
Health spending and cutbacks will be the main topic for discussion at the sixth Irish Times/Pfizer health debate which is being held in Dublin tomorrow night.
Among the speakers will be Dr James Reilly, Fine Gael spokesman on health, who will be arguing against the motion that “This house believes that reduced health spending should not lead to poorer healthcare”.
Arguing in favour of the motion will be Trinity College Dublin economics lecturer and well-known media commentator, Dr Sean Barrett. Chairing the proceedings will be columnist and Irish Times assistant editor, Fintan O’Toole.
The debate starts at 6.30pm and takes place in the Science Gallery at Trinity College. Entry is free, but you must register in advance. To register contact healthdebates@ogilvy.com or call Orla Dormer on tel: 01-6690030.
Vioxx risks known before withdrawal
Evidence that the painkiller Vioxx might increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes emerged nearly four years before the drug was voluntarily withdrawn from the market, research has shown.
Vioxx, the brand name for the drug rofecoxib, was an anti-inflammatory drug primarily designed to control the pain of arthritis.
Launched in May 1999 by Merck Co, it quickly proved a commercial success with sales reaching over $1 billion a year. But in September 2004, Merck took the decision to pull Vioxx from the market.
It followed a large trial that was halted early after finding evidence linking Vioxx to a raised risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes.
In November 2004, Merck’s then chief executive, Raymond Gilmartin, testified before a US Senate Finance Committee that until the halted trial, there was no suggestion from research data that patients taking Vioxx were at increased risk.
Yesterday, experts writing in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine produced evidence of clear concerns about Vioxx from December 2000 onwards.