My Oncologist had me on Vioxx before my heart attack. I'm wondering now if it really was chemo-induced. [J-9]

Area patients alerted about Vioxx recall

Dr. Greg Williams, a family practice physician at SJ Family Medicine in Merrimack, started prescribing the arthritis drug Vioxx in 2001 - two years after its manufacturer, Merck & Co., put it on the market.

But on Thursday, when Merck recalled the drug after a study found it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke, Williams had a relatively short list of patients to contact.

“There was a study published in January,” said Williams, who began prescribing alternatives to Vioxx last winter. “I had heard about problems.

”Williams, who had prescribed the drug to dozens of patients, said he learned about the recall Thursday from a fax sent from St. Joseph Hospital to his office. He said he had typically prescribed the drug for patients with arthritis and chronic osteoarthritis - generally an older population - although he also ordered it for younger patients with arthritis.

The study found that patients taking Vioxx for more than 18 months were twice as likely as those taking dummy pills to suffer a heart attack, stroke, or other heart conditions.

The Food and Drug Administration said there were early signs of possible problems with the drug.
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