Reports: Data on Vioxx was misused

Corporate and government documents from Vioxx lawsuits indicate that Merck & Co. apparently downplayed evidence showing the painkiller tripled the risk of death in Alzheimer's-prone patients. Doctors involved in the analyses say the trove of information that Merck was compelled to produce offers a window into the world of billion-dollar drugs and the lengths to which a company will go to advance and protect its interests.