Each year, untold millions of Muslims fast for Ramadan, a month-long observance that can cause a headache or two as food and liquids are avoided during daylight hours. But Merck believes it has a salve - Arcoxia, a Cox-2 inhibitor that is closely related to the infamous Vioxx painkiller that was withdrawn in 2004 due to links to heart attacks and strokes. The FDA, you may recall, did not allow Arcoxia on the US market, but the pill remains available in 70 other countries, including Israel, where Merck researchers previously conducted a study showing the drug can alleviate a so-called Yom Kippur headache, a reference to the 24-hour fast conducted annually by observant Jews.
