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Data on rofecoxib (Vioxx), a COX-2 inhibitor that was withdrawn from the market in 2004 amid concerns about cardiovascular risk, is still accruing. Now, investigators from the manufacturer-funded trial, Vioxx in Colorectal Cancer Therapy: Definition of Optimal Regime (VICTOR), are publishing their results. To test the effect of the drug on recurrence rates of colorectal cancer, the investigators randomized patients to receive rofecoxib or placebo for either 2 or 5 years. Rates of cardiovascular thrombotic events and death were compared during the study period and for 2 years thereafter. The trial was intended to have 7000 patients but was terminated after 26 months when the drug was withdrawn, with only 2434 patients enrolled.
The investigat…