23.2 Drug Advertising: the VIOXX Tragedy with Michael Shuman, PharmD

Join myself and Dr. Michael Shuman (PharmD, BPCC - Board Certification in Psychiatric Pharmacy) as we discuss the negative impact of Direct-To-Consumer-Advertising (DTCA) in the US Healthcare System.  This is a recurring series where Dr. Shuman and I will talk about various examples of the negative impacts of DTCA in America over the last 40+ years.  We're living and working in a system now that is rife with misinformation and poor-quality research, and we want to make everyone a little more aware of just how many examples exist in US healthcare history of poorly designed and carried out drug trials and direct manipulation of data, leading to tragedies like with Vioxx.  Hopefully, we can instill systematic change that will improve how we go about measuring the safety and efficacy profiles of each new drug. In this 2nd episode, we discuss Vioxx, or Rofecoxib, an NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug) created and marketed by Merck Pharmaceuticals just a couple of years after a loophole made DTCA essentially legal in the US.  Vioxx was marketed as safer in terms of the risk of GI bleeding (which it was), but Merck's own internal study (VIGOR) clearly showed a 4-5x increased risk of much more serious problems related to clotting, including heart attacks and strokes.  From 1999-2004, it is estimated that over 50,000 Americans died as a result of taking Vioxx and it was eventually pulled from the market in 2004.  Efforts were made by Merck representatives to silence Doctors who tried to sound the alarm (shoutout to cardiologist Eric Topol for putting his neck on the line for his patients and the American public) on the dangers.  Eventually, Vioxx was recalled, but not before tens of thousands of Americans died, and more than a hundred thousand suffered from heart attacks/strokes.  Hope you enjoy.  Michael will be a recurring guest for this recurring series on DTCA for our listeners to enjoy over the next several months. Thanks for listening to the audio podcast... You should check out our posted video podcast on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaZ1bds1MGMM4tSbY7ISqug) as there are graphics overlaying the video to make it all more interactive and educational.  For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/  to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website. Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate.  This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.