An article published in a leading medical journal accuses drug maker Merck of internally drafting a number of research studies for its drug Vioxx, and then looking for big-name doctors to put their names on the studies prior to publication.

“It almost calls into question all legitimate research that’s been conducted by the pharmaceutical industry with the academic physician,” said Dr. Joseph S. Ross of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, whose article, written with colleagues, was published recently in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

In 2004, Vioxx was a best-selling drug before the company took it off the market over claims linking it to heart problems. Late last year, Merck agreed to a $4.85 billion settlement to quiet tens of thousands of personal injury lawsuits filed by former Vioxx patients and their families.

Dr. Catherine D. DeAngelis said it was dishonest for a doctor to put his or her name on a study he or she did not author without disclosing the role of ghostwriter. “I consider that being scammed,” said DeAngelis.

Merck asserts that while the company may hire professional writers to pen early drafts of scientific articles, any outside authors named in its studies were involved in the research, and the final work is the product of the doctor.

Source: Stephanie Saul, The New York Times, “Ghostwriters Used in Vioxx Studies, Article Says,” April 15, 2008.