According to reports, FDA safety officer David Graham told a conference that Mobic is potentially as dangerous as Vioxx in terms of cardiovascular safety risks. This alleged risk potential makes for an especially compelling revelation, as Mobic has become the number one prescription arthritis pain drug since Merck’s withdrawal of Vioxx last year sent shockwaves throughout the COX-2 market.
Graham is said to have based his allegation against Mobic on preliminary, as-yet-unpublished data from a recently completed study conducted by himself and a colleague.
Mobic’s manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim, has defended the drug’s safety profile, and company spokesman Jon Yonsky has been quoted in the Washington Post as stating that Graham’s claims “were a surprise to us and many people.”
Mobic (meloxicam) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) indicated for the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.