Forbes is reporting (via AP) that a Canadian panel is recommending Vioxx be put back on the market:
An expert panel is recommending that Health Canada allow the controversial painkiller Vioxx back onto the market.
By a 12-1 vote, panel members concluded the benefits of Vioxx in providing pain relief outweigh the increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Merck & Co. withdrew the drug from the worldwide market last September after a study showed it doubled patients risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Earlier this year, a panel of outside experts narrowly voted to recommend to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allow Vioxx back on the market.
Merck spokesman Guy Bizzoco said the company hadn’t decided whether to reintroduce Vioxx in Canada and looked forward to discussing the issue with local officials. He added there are continued discussions with U.S. regulators about Vioxx’s future.
The Canadian panel unanimously recommended that Celebrex continue to be sold but gave thumbs down to returning a third drug in the same class, Bextra, to the market. Celebrex and Bextra are made by Pfizer Inc.
“It’s now up to Health Canada to decide if it will accept the recommendations,” the article said.