WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2006--Merck & Co., Inc. is correcting its prior description of one of the statistical methods used to analyze certain data in the APPROVe study published in 2005, and has notified the study authors, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and regulatory authorities. Merck recently discovered the need for this correction while reviewing the preliminary analyses of the off-drug extension data for the APPROVe study. Merck believes that this correction does not change the results of the APPROVe study, in which an increased relative risk for confirmed thrombotic cardiovascular events for VIOXX compared to placebo was observed beginning after 18 months of continuous daily treatment. This correction is unrelated to the recently announced preliminary analysis of the off-drug extension of the APPROVe study.
