Hospital for Special Surgery Doctors Available to Comment on Withdrawal of Vioxx®

New York, NY—October 7, 2004

Merck's voluntary withdrawal of Vioxx® is causing concern among patients afflicted by a variety of orthopedic and rheumatic conditions. Whether patients are recovering from joint replacement surgery or sports injuries, or suffering from arthritis, osteoarthritis or lupus, they are looking to their healthcare practitioners for advice on alternative medications that will them relieve their pain.

The following Hospital for Special Surgery's doctors are available to comment on the Vioxx® withdrawal and its implications for patients:

Theodore R. Fields, MD, FACP
Associate Attending Physician
Available to discuss: Medication alternatives to Vioxx®, reasons for withdrawal of Vioxx, non-medication approaches to arthritis, the COX-2 selective vs non-selective anti-inflammatory agents.

Joseph A. Markenson, MD
Attending Physician
Available to discuss: Current drug studies involving patients with rheumatic disease (rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and lupus), medication alternatives to Vioxx®, reasons for withdrawal of Vioxx®, non-medication approaches to arthritis, the COX-2 selective vs non-selective anti-inflammatory agents.

Thomas J.A. Lehman, MD
Chief, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology
Available to discuss: Implications for children with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Lehman, author of author of It's Not Just Growing Pains, published by Oxford University Press, devotes a section of the book to the various medications available to children with rheumatic diseases and the reasons for taking medications even if they pose potential risks to children.

Scott A. Rodeo, MD
Clinician-scientist, Department of Orthopedic Surgery (Sports Medicine Service) and the Research Department (Laboratory for Soft Tissue Research) and Associate team physician for New York Giants
Available to discuss:  Implications for athletes and sports injuries

Michael D Lockshin, MD
Attending Rheumatologist
Director, Barbara Volcker Center for Women and Rheumatic Disease
Available to discuss: Alternatives for patients suffering from rheumatic diseases

For more information on the Vioxx® voluntary withdrawal, please visit:

Special Report: Merck withdraws Vioxx from the Market

Reflections on the withdrawal of Vioxx from the market

For a discussion of how to reduce the side effects of COX-2 inhibitors – the group of drugs in which Vioxx® belongs – please visit:

Guidelines to Help Reduce the Side-Effects of COX-2 Selective Drugs (Types of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents)

For information on the Vioxx® withdrawal and its implications for the management of osteoarthritis for patients, please visit:

An In-Depth Overview of Osteoarthritis