Vioxx timeline
May 1999
FDA
approves Vioxx.
March 2000
Merck reveals that a new study found Vioxx patients had double the rate of serious cardiovascular problems than those on naproxen, an older nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID.
November 2000
The New England Journal of Medicine publishes the study, called VIGOR.
February 2001
An advisory panel recommends the FDA require a label warning of the possible link to cardiovascular problems.
September 2001
The FDA warns Merck to stop misleading doctors about Vioxx's effect on the cardiovascular
system.
April 2002
The FDA tells Merck to add information about cardiovascular risk to Vioxx's label.
Aug. 25, 2004
An FDA researcher presents results of a database analysis of 1.4 million patients; it concludes that Vioxx users are more likely to suffer a heart attack or sudden cardiac death than those taking Celebrex or an older NSAID.
Sept. 23, 2004
Merck says it learned this day that patients taking Vioxx in a study were twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke as those on placebo.
Sept. 30, 2004
Merck withdraws Vioxx from the U.S.
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