Vioxx Articles Ghostwritten, Journal Says

Reports in a medical journal claim that Merck & Co. paid outside scientists to be listed as authors of articles written by ghostwriters. The articles included research on Vioxx. This drug was withdrawn from the market in 2004 because of heart and stroke risks. The new reports also say that Merck tried to minimize the death risk in two studies related to Vioxx and Alzheimer’s disease. But Merck told the Associated Press that the new reports were false and misleading. It said the listed authors were closely involved in the research. Merck said the Alzheimer’s articles were accurate. The company also said the new reports were biased because their authors had consulted for people who sued Merck over Vioxx. The reports were published April 16 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.