NPR has obtained documents proving that Merck and Co., makers of the arthritis pain medication Vioxx that was recalled by the FDA in September of 2004, put pressure on doctors to prevent them from discussing their concerns about the safety of their drug.

A recent report on NPR tells the tale of Dr. Gurkirpal Singh of Stanford University, who was hired by Merck in 1999 to give lectures and talks to physicians at medical schools, universities, and hospitals introducing Vioxx. Dr. Singh gave 40 talks to physicians over a seven-month period and was paid fees of up to $2500 for each lecture.

In early 2000, a large study commissioned by Merck showed that patients on Vioxx suffered more heart attacks, strokes and deaths than those on the older pain pill Naproxen. For some researchers, this was a warning that Vioxx was dangerous, but Merck interpreted the study in a positive way, portraying the study as proof that Naproxen protected against heart attacks, not that Vioxx caused them.

Merck gave the study data to the FDA and began a protracted debate with the agency over the drug’s safety. But Dr. Singh was repeatedly stonewalled when he asked for the results of the study so he could evaluate them for himself.

Email inside Merck began to suggest censoring Singh in the future. Communications between at least 23 local, regional and national executives discussed how to rein in their consultant after his credibility had opened many doors to sales for them. In the interim, Dr. Singh changed his position on the drug’s safety, but began promoting Vioxx’s rival, Celebrex, for competitor Pfizer, by telling audiences that Merck had refused to answer his questions about Vioxx’s safety. Merck kept an eye on Singh by scrupulously recounting his activities, and began to pressure Singh by calling his bosses at Stanford University to inform them of Dr. Singh’s “Merck-bashing” and insinuating that money donated to the university’s drug research budget on behalf of pharmaceutical companies might dry up.

For more details on NPR’s report click here.

Source: Snigdha Prakash, “Merck Attempted to Quash Vioxx Criticism,” NPR’s All Things Considered, June 9, 2005.