Merck Says Vioxx Article Needs Correction

Merck (MRK Quote) said it would correct its previous description of one of the statistical methods used to analyze certain data from a Vioxx study published last year, but the drug giant doesn't believe the original results will be changed.

The company said after the close of trading Tuesday that it has notified the study's authors, the New England Journal of Medicine and regulatory authorities about the need for the correction. Merck discovered the error while reviewing the preliminary analyses of patients who were taken off Vioxx as part of a study called Approve.

In short, the mistake in the published article involved an incorrect description of the methods used for measuring time and changing risk in the Approve study. ...