Vioxx maker Merck and Co drew up doctor hit list

AN international drug company made a hit list of doctors who had to be "neutralised" or discredited because they criticised the anti-arthritis drug the pharmaceutical giant produced.

source

Searched and didn't see anything about this.

This is truly scary. A drug company made a hit-list of doctors who dared to question the safety of vioxx. Makes one wonder just how powerful these drug companies are and how often this type of thing happens.


TA

"We may need to seek them out and destroy them where they live," a Merck employee wrote, according to an email excerpt read to the court by Julian Burnside QC, acting for the plaintiff.

Just who do these people think they are? Do they not realize that eventually this type of underhanded, reprehensible business practice will eventually be found out? They would've, in the long run, made more money by pulling the medicine from the market, going back to the drawing board and creating new, safer medicine. Because they decided to handle this like gangsters instead of gentlemen, we all suffer, them included. Instead of spending their money making potentially life saving medication, they're now going to be spending it fighting law suits. We miss out on the meds, they miss out on the profit. Crime (usually ) doesn't pay.


TA

reply to post by TheAssociate


This appears to be an english translation of a french? article
link

Philip K Dickhead sends in a piece from the Australian media, a couple of weeks old, that hasn't seen much discussion here. In a class-action lawsuit in Australia against Merck for its Vioxx anti-arthritis drug, information has come out that the company developed a "hit list" of doctors who had expressed anything but enthusiasm for the drug. Vioxx was withdrawn from the market in 2004 because it causes heart attacks and strokes. Merck settled a class action in the US for $4.85 billion but did not admit guilt.

reply to post by liveandlearn


The link that you posted is a french(?) website with a copy of the article from slashdot.com where i first found out about this. (link) But in any case, thanks for the reply, star for you.


TA

Originally posted by TheAssociate

"We may need to seek them out and destroy them where they live," a Merck employee wrote, according to an email excerpt read to the court by Julian Burnside QC, acting for the plaintiff.

Just who do these people think they are? Do they not realize that eventually this type of underhanded, reprehensible business practice will eventually be found out? They would've, in the long run, made more money by pulling the medicine from the market, going back to the drawing board and creating new, safer medicine. Because they decided to handle this like gangsters instead of gentlemen, we all suffer, them included. Instead of spending their money making potentially life saving medication, they're now going to be spending it fighting law suits. We miss out on the meds, they miss out on the profit. Crime (usually

) doesn't pay.

TA

TheAssociate, good post, thanks for sharing. This is another glaring example of how the drug companies manipulate their fields. Secondly, the amount of money spent on advertising alone is outstanding. Check it out:

www.fiercepharma.com...

2.5 Billion on ads for GlxoSmithKline? Man, that is a lot of $$$.

ColoradoJens

2.5 Billion on ads for GlxoSmithKline? Man, that is a lot of $$$.

That definitely is a lot of dough. Some of it might have been more wisely invested in new medicines. After all, new medicines equals more money. On the other hand, their medication is a product, just like any other. I don't really see the harm in advertising for it, except for the fact that some of it could have been used on research. Thanks for the reply, star for you.


TA

Edit to clarify

[edit on 25-4-2009 by TheAssociate]

This is nothing new. From experience, doctors also are prohibited from reporting negative reactions to flu vaccines due to pressure from drug companies, the CDC and the AMA. Generally speaking they lose their licenses for reporting cases and most doctors in my area will not take you as a patient if you mention this. It took me two years to "recover" and I still do not have full use of one arm after eight years.

The two people who disclosed this practice to me were chiropractors who fall outside of this regulation since they do not prescribe medicines and therefore cannot be censured. It also was verified by a osteopathic physician.

A doctor I met recently probits drug company reps from talking with patients in his waiting room and doesn't allow items from those companies to be advertised in his office which is very unusual, most here have all kinds of posters spiffing drugs.

reply to post by secretagent woooman


I'm sincerely sorry to hear about that, secretagent woooman. I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery.

I really wouldn't doubt that doctors are extorted in this manner. I had heard of drug companies paying off doctors to prescribe their meds but this goes above and beyond. Although i have to wonder, exactly how do the drug companies get the doctor's licenses pulled? Has the AMA been infiltrated? At any rate, it's a screwed up situation. Thanks for the reply, star for you.


TA

Here is another site pertaining to this debacle. It contains comments from one of the first doctors to openly criticize Vioxx and some additional information on the way drug companies manipulate doctors, the government and people in general.

The pharmaceutical industry spent $1.5 billion lobbying Congress in the last decade, and in so doing has manipulated the government’s involvement with medicine and secondarily reinforced our dependence on them, through government policies. Their relatively minor investments allow them to manipulate votes on key legislation that are highly favorable to their bottom line and almost always in conflict with your best interests.

(from the above linked source)

This is truly frightening stuff. These people are dangerous.


TA

Errr guys before you get all foamy at the mouth. Did any of you notice the name quoted on the external source?

Philip K Dickhead

Yeah right........

Deny Ignorance people.

Philip K. Dickhead was the username of the person who submitted the article to slashdot.com. I listed the link to the slashdot page in an above post. please read the links.

TA

[edit on 29-4-2009 by TheAssociate]