Doctor Links Merck Trial to His Demotion

By ALEX BERENSON

December 10, 2005

Less than a week after his videotaped lambasting of Merck was played in
a Houston federal courthouse, Dr. Eric Topol, a prominent cardiologist,
has lost his title as chief academic officer of the Cleveland Clinic's
medical college.

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In the courthouse yesterday, jurors continued deliberating whether
Merck's painkiller Vioxx had caused the death of a Florida main in
2001.

Dr. Topol said yesterday that he believed that his demotion might be
related to his testimony in that case, the third Vioxx lawsuit to reach
trial. Dr. Topol has questioned Vioxx's safety for years and said in
his testimony, played in court last Saturday, that he believed that
Merck acted irresponsibly and committed scientific misconduct when it
promoted Vioxx.

"The hardest thing in the world is just trying to tell the truth, to do
the right thing for patients, and you get vilified," he said yesterday.
"No wonder nobody stands up to the industry."

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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/10/business/10vioxx.html