Why am I mad at Merck over Vioxx?

What is disturbing to me, is that given years of evidence that there was a risk of stroke and heart attack from Vioxx, Merck did NOT set out to study the cardiac impact -- rather only when it had an opportunity to add a new market for the drug did they do a study which accidentally caused Merck to acknowledge publicly what it already knew privately. This study, and only by "accident" turned out to thte public what the public should have known and Merck already did know sooner...

In May 1999 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Vioxx. The original safety database included approximately 5,000 patients on Vioxx and did not show an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clots, or sudden death. One year later in June 2000, Merck submitted a safety study called VIGOR (Vioxx Gastrointestinal Outcomes Research) to the FDA that found an increased risk of Vioxx heart attacks and strokes in patients taking Vioxx compared to patients taking naproxen. After reviewing the VIGOR study results and other available data from controlled clinical trials, the FDA consulted with its Arthritis Advisory Committee in February 2001 regarding the clinical interpretation of this new questionable Vioxx-related information.

Perhaps, back in Feb of 2001, it was "questionable," but the "question" about the lack of safety for Vioxx was squarely put forth to Merck, and Merck had a moral obligation, not to mention and financial obligation to its shareholders, to look further into this -- THEN. They did not.

Why not?
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Why did it take 22 months (June 2000 to Feb 2001) to alert the medical community and its patients about life threatening risks for Vioxx induced chest pain, heart attacks, blood clots, stroke, and sudden death?

... I would argue, and yes, this is me with my attorney hat on and you are the jury, that there were $2.5 Billion reasons each year that they did not look further at the heart attack issue for years.

On September 17, 2001 (and, to Merck