Selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 (CQX-2) inhibitor, VIOXX (rofecoxib), wasvoluntarily withdrawn worldwide from drugstores by its maker Merck & Co., Inc. on September 30,2004, for its potential lethal side effects of heart attack or stroke, The Merck' s decision wasbased on new, three-year data from a prospective, multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled,double-blind clinical trial of VIOXX with an unrelated study, the APPROVe (Adenomatous PolypPrevention on VIOXX) trial. The trial has been enrolling 2 600 patients and comparing 156 weeks(three years) of treatment with VIOXX 25 mg to placebo since 2000.
Abstract:Stroke is currently the second leading cause of mortality and adult disability in the world.It expects to increase dramatically over the coming years.Stroke and its related illnesses cost the healthcare system billions of dollars each year worldwide,thus causing significant financial burden and economic hardship in the world.The disabilities afflicted in stroke survivors have also created significant social and economic impacts on societies worldwide.It is thus imperative that medical researchers develop effective treatment strategies in order to meet this today's challenge.Presently,even the cellular and molecular mechanisms of stroke are better understood,the effective treatment for stroke is still very limited.This has led stroke researchers to pursue different neuroprotective strategies aiming non-glutamate mechanisms to prevent neuronal damage and to promote neuronal survival,regeneration and functional recovery in stroke,thus offering potentially long-term economic,social,and healthcare benefits worldwide.
