Dr. Cannon receives research grant support from Merck, which sponsored and monitored the study, and did the statistical analysis. The results were published simultaneously with the presentation in the Lancet 2006;(DOI:10.1016/S0140–6736 [06]69666–9).
Etoricoxib is approved for use in more than 60 countries but not yet in the United States.
Several days before the presentation, Merck resubmitted its new drug application to the FDA for the approval of etoricoxib for the symptomatic treatment of only osteoarthritis, instead of indications also in rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions. In the MEDAL program, RA and OA patients had similar risk for cardiovascular thrombotic events with both drugs, but only 28% of the patients had RA. RA patients also usually require higher doses of NSAIDs, which would emphasize any cardiovascular thrombotic risk. These considerations may have had led Merck to not seek etoricoxib as an indication for RA, Dr. Altman suggested.
Senior writer Jeff Evans contributed to this report.