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The revelation that Merck’s popular painkiller rofecoxib (Vioxx), as well as other drugs in the COX-2 inhibitor class, pose an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who take them has led many in the research community to question whether the instiutional review boards at the sites where the drug was tested failed in their mission.

Vioxx, NIH crises lead to questions about drug safety and IRBs’ role

February 1, 2005

The revelation that Mercks popular painkiller rofecoxib (Vioxx), as well as other drugs in the COX-2 inhibitor class, pose an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who take them has led many in the research community to question whether the instiutional review boards at the sites where the drug was tested failed in their mission.