The New York Times examines the case of Johnson & Johnson's Propulsid, a heartburn medication with a troubling link to the death of hundreds of patients, including many children. The report tracks similarities between Propulsid and Vioxx, complete with trial data that highlighted the dangers which were kept under wraps. And like Merck, J&J continued to promote the drug even as evidence of its dangers steadily mounted. J&J only pulled the drug in advance of a government hearing that would have highlighted the dangers. For many experts, one of the mosty troubling lessons of Propulsid is that even a black box warning won't prevent many physicians from prescribing a drug that may be dangerous for their patients.
- read this article from The New York Times