The pharmaceutical drug OxyContin is a potent pain reliever, often the only help for hundreds of thousands of patients who suffer serious, relentless pain. The drug has recently been in the spotlight for its use as a street narcotic, sold on the black market and responsible for addiction and overdose...

In 2004, Merck withdrew its pain reliever Vioxx from the market because of new studies showing increased cardiovascular risk. Merck announced that it would not settle any of the tens of thousands of Vioxx lawsuits filed, and set aside over a billion dollars to litigate cases without reserving a penny...

Testimony in defense of the FDA, which has come under attack recently for its handling of drug safety.

The recent verdict in a case involving the pain reliever Vioxx demonstrates how junk science can corrupt drug litigation.

Verdicts like the one against Vioxx could end up denying valuable new drugs to patients.

ANew Jersey jury awarded compensationto John McDarby, 77,who sued Merck after suffering a heart attack while taking the pain reliever Vioxx.

Regardless of the intentions, clinical drug trials driven primarily by marketing yield enormous benefits for patients and practitioners.

The FDA's recent move was a giant step toward a calamitous new drug approval policy.