With any medicine there are side effects. The problem with Vioxx is still up in the air, some say it caused heart attacks and strokes if used for as little as 30 days, others say that it takes continuous use for 6 months. Here, like everything else the good must be weighed against the bad. In this case, the over use of the drug by some caused them to have ill effects, in other cases there were no side effects at all. In either case, right or wrong, the drug did what it said it would do, relieve pain, pain that usually would not have been treatable with other drugs.

Merck spent billions to develop and test the drug, the FDA approved it, then after having been on the market, additional problems were discovered. So it is Merck's fault right........don't forget, the FDA approved its use.....where is the government's liability??

dmk