Vioxx is a prescription medication that has been used primarily in the treatment of signs and symptoms of arthritis, but has also been prescribed to treat acute pain in adults and menstrual pain in women. It is a Cox-2 selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID. Other Cox -2 selective NSAIDs on the market are Celebrex and Bextra. Vioxx is also related to nonselective NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen.

In September of 2004, its manufacturer, Merck & Co, voluntarily recalled Vioxx worldwide, due to safety concerns. The FDA issued a public advisory regarding the safety of Vioxx, though it was pulled from the market before the FDA had an opportunity to do a thorough review.

During a clinical trial in which Vioxx was being studied for its effectiveness for preventing the recurrence of colon polyps and as well as its long term safety, the study had to be halted because of the observed risk of increased cardiovascular risk after 18 months of continuous treatment with 25mg of Vioxx as opposed to those receiving a placebo (sugar pill). Merck pulled the drug from the market when the study confirmed longstanding concerns about the drug and demonstrated that the regular use of Vioxx doubled the patient