Ethics committees cite Vioxx GI hazards with "Victor" clinical trial organisers

This material is from a 2005 investigation by Brian Deer for The Sunday Times of London into the painkiller Vioxx | Go to Vioxx index

In the UK, the key clinical trial of Vioxx was called "Victor", organised by two senior professors, David Kerr and Michael Langman. As the project was being designed, the sharp-eyed North Derbyshire ethics committee noticed that gastrointestinal bleeding and perforations were well-recognised as possible side effects of the drug, but were not included in patient information sheets. The following exchanges developed, which seemed to suggest that the organisers were reluctant to squarely address this potential risk