Comments on: Quote Of The Day: Hapless Merck Doctor http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/03/quote_of_the_day_hapless_merck/ News, Comment and Conversation Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:46:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Kent JARRELL http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/03/quote_of_the_day_hapless_merck/#comment-2906 Kent JARRELL Tue, 13 Mar 2007 19:03:03 +0000 http://plt.starledger.webfactional.com/2007/03/quote_of_the_day_hapless_merck/#comment-2906 It was from a transcript, because I have learned not to trust my memory. I hope to be able to continue the conversation on line as issues come up. And you are right, I have been called a lot of things, but shy is not one of them. Kent Jarrell It was from a transcript, because I have learned not to trust my memory. I hope to be able to continue the conversation on line as issues come up. And you are right, I have been called a lot of things, but shy is not one of them.

Kent Jarrell

]]> By: ed http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/03/quote_of_the_day_hapless_merck/#comment-2905 ed Tue, 13 Mar 2007 18:56:24 +0000 http://plt.starledger.webfactional.com/2007/03/quote_of_the_day_hapless_merck/#comment-2905 Kent, Thanks for pointing this out. Like others, we relied on reoprting from the court and archived stories rumbling around newspaper sites that are accessed from the Internet. (And we'lll assume you're recitation is from the transcript and not from memory, right?). On another matter - why don't you normally post to blogs, especially thoae that also deliver news? A Posting to the Blogger is quickly becoming the same thing as a Letter to the Editor. We'll gladly accept more. Don't be shy. We know you're really not! ed Kent,

Thanks for pointing this out. Like others, we relied on reoprting from the court and archived stories rumbling around newspaper sites that are accessed from the Internet. (And we’lll assume you’re recitation is from the transcript and not from memory, right?).

On another matter - why don’t you normally post to blogs, especially thoae that also deliver news? A Posting to the Blogger is quickly becoming the same thing as a Letter to the Editor. We’ll gladly accept more. Don’t be shy. We know you’re really not!

ed

]]> By: Kent Jarrell http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/03/quote_of_the_day_hapless_merck/#comment-2904 Kent Jarrell Tue, 13 Mar 2007 18:41:41 +0000 http://plt.starledger.webfactional.com/2007/03/quote_of_the_day_hapless_merck/#comment-2904 While I ordinarily would not be inclined to respond to blog postings, I wanted to point out that there was an inaccuracy in the reporting of the testimony of a witness, Dr. Nancy Santanello, a Merck scientist who testified in a VIOXX trial in Madison County, Illinois. Some reports cited only part of her quotes. The purpose of this posting is to quote her public testimony correctly. Dr. Santanello was asked about some of the many studies the company undertook regarding the medicine and said, according to the court transcript, "I think you need to look at the product long-term if you're going to use it in the long-term and so, therefore, I think you need longer term studies which I know we did." Unfortunately, some reports left off the second half of the sentence. As Dr. Santanello effectively made clear in her testimony, VIOXX was one of the most studied drugs ever, before the FDA approved it as safe and effective. Merck continued to study VIOXX and then when the APPROVe study showed a potential long-term risk, the company informed the FDA it was going to pull the medication from the market because that would be in the best interest of patients. Kent Jarrell-spokesman for Merck’s Outside Counsel in the VIOXX litigation. While I ordinarily would not be inclined to respond to blog postings, I wanted to point out that there was an inaccuracy in the reporting of the testimony of a witness, Dr. Nancy Santanello, a Merck scientist who testified in a VIOXX trial in Madison County, Illinois. Some reports cited only part of her quotes. The purpose of this posting is to quote her public testimony correctly.

Dr. Santanello was asked about some of the many studies the company undertook regarding the medicine and said, according to the court transcript, “I think you need to look at the product long-term if you’re going to use it in the long-term and so, therefore, I think you need longer term studies which I know we did.”

Unfortunately, some reports left off the second half of the sentence.

As Dr. Santanello effectively made clear in her testimony, VIOXX was one of the most studied drugs ever, before the FDA approved it as safe and effective. Merck continued to study VIOXX and then when the APPROVe study showed a potential long-term risk, the company informed the FDA it was going to pull the medication from the market because that would be in the best interest of patients.

Kent Jarrell-spokesman for Merck’s Outside Counsel in the VIOXX litigation.

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