In 2004 Merck voluntarily pulled Vioxx off the market after the company acknowledged that the drug increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

The controversial relationship in the United States between the medical profession and the drug industry is in the spotlight. A prominent medical publication, The Journal of the American Medical Association, has criticized the results of two clinical trials by the pharmaceutical giant, Merck. The clinical trials, completed before the drug was later taken off the market, tested an anti-inflammatory drug called Vioxx for possible treatment of Alzheimer's disease. VOA's Melinda Smith examines the possible conflicts of interest raised by the journal article, and whether lives might have been saved if the public had known more.