NEW YORK, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The clinical study that forced Vioxx off the market now shows the painkiller can be a help in another area.
Preliminary data from the three-year trial show Vioxx can prevent pre-cancerous growths in the colon, the Wall Street Journal said Thursday.
But, Merck & Co., which withdrew the drug after the study indicated a possible link with heart trouble or strokes, said it has no plans to return Vioxx to the marketplace.
The new data showed that Vioxx can prevent recurrence of polyps that may develop into colorectal cancer, said Robert Bresalier, a physician at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston who led the study.
Since Merck's Sept. 30 withdrawal of Vioxx, questions about cardiovascular safety have cropped up in relation to Pfizer's Celebrex, which is in the same class of drugs as Vioxx.
Pfizer based in New York, has halted TV and other consumer advertising but hasn't pulled its drug.
