Our research, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, found that compared to naproxen, a commonly used over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug with similar benefits, Vioxx has a five times greater heart attack risk.
"It's early days, and this research will certainly need following up, but it could be great news for heart attack patients who face the debilitating symptoms of heart failure".
Merck withdrew Vioxx from the market two years ago after a study found a greater risk of heart attack in people who had taken the drug continually for at least 18 months.
A study from 2010, for example, a large meta-analysis that looked at data on more than 8,000 adults over four years, found that those who were taking calcium supplements — a minimum of 500 milligrams a day — had nearly a 30 percent greater risk of heart attack than those who were not.
While it's true that when compared to the other Cox-2 inhibitors, Vioxx has repeatedly carried a far greater risk of heart attack and stroke, none of the manufacturers of Vioxx's class of drugs, called Cox-2 inhibitor agents, have studied patients who already have heart disease.
The case studies focus on attempts to block federal guidelines for spinal surgery, discredit a paper on the causes of "multiple chemical sensitivity," and intimidate the author of a study showing that patients who take short-acting calcium-channel blockers have a greater risk of heart attack.
If left untreated, sleep apnea puts a person at greater risk for heart attack and stroke.
Standing desks gave people an alternative to the sedentary workweek, which has been linked to a slower metabolism and greater risk of heart attack.
