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DoctorSolve™ Online Pharmacy recommends questions to ask your doctor before taking Vioxx or another COX-2 arthritis drug
If you suffer from arthritis, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Merck’s blockbuster arthritis drug, Vioxx. Some 1.3 million Americans take Vioxx, which Merck voluntarily withdrew from the market last September because of concern about its possible association with heart attacks and strokes.
Last week an advisory panel voted that Vioxx (and other COX-2 inhibitor drugs) used to treat arthritis is safe to market.
However, drug safety researcher and author David Graham estimates that Vioxx caused heart attacks in as many as 140,000 Americans and contributed to as many as 60,000 deaths.
If you’re confused about the safety of these drugs, DoctorSolve™ can help. “Big Pharma is concerned with more than your safety,” warns Dr. Paul Zickler, co-founder of DoctorSolve™ Healthcare Solutions in Vancouver, B.C. “The bottom line is profits. Unfortunately, it may be at your expense if you aren’t a smart consumer.”
If you’ve been prescribed Vioxx or another COX-2 inhibitor like Celebrex or Bextra, Dr. Zickler recommends that you consider:
What is the manufacturer’s motive to sell the drug?
Vioxx sales topped $2.5 billion (about $8 per person in the US) (about $8 per person in the US) and comprised 11 percent of Merck’s sales in 2003.
When a study was recommended two years earlier to evaluate its cardiovascular risks, Merck didn’t ignore the issue.
Concerned about losing profits, Merck distributed media to alleviate public concerns, including the news release “Merck Reconfirms Favorable Cardiovascular Safety of Vioxx.”
Then Merck spent over $100 million annually on consumer marketing and sponsored countless continuing medical education programs.
Is the drug’s safety determined by an objective source?
Ten members of the drug advisory panel that re-approved Vioxx worked for Big Pharma. Without them, the committee would have voted 14-8 to keep Vioxx off the market.
In addition, Dr. Zickler says to ask your physician:
- Do I really need the drug? Would a lifestyle change be better?
- Are there other drugs that are safer?
- How long has this drug been on the market?
- Are there risks for my age group or a person with my medical history?
DoctorSolve™ is a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC Q37) that offers lower-cost, long-term prescriptions.
All prescriptions are filled out by a professionally registered pharmacist. DoctorSolve™ is a certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association and ranked .com as one of the best (five-star) online pharmacies.
DoctorSolve™ has filled more than 200,000 U.S. prescriptions. For more information, call 1-866-732-0305.
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