Banned US drug may be in circulation

NEW DELHI: The use of popular painkiller Rofecoxibon has been banned in the US. But none of the doctors contacted by TNN had received any information from drug companies about the ban.
Anoop Misra, professor of medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, said no drug company had contacted him. He admitted that even in metropolitan cities, doctors would not be aware."Very few read health news flashes."
Information released by Merck revealed that the drug is taken by close to two million people worldwide. It was marketed as a safe alternative to drugs like aspirin which can cause ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding.
The decision to withdraw the drug was taken after it was found that the drug can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Trials being conducted to test whether the drug prevented certain cancers were stopped when they showed that after 18 months there was a sudden increase in the rate of heart diseases of patients.
The drug, explains Misra, is commonly prescribed in chronic painful conditions, such as arthritis among others, as it does not lead to peptic ulcers, unlike some other painkillers.
The drug has been a blockbuster for Merck company with worldwide sales of $2.5 billion last year.