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Nature 433, 790 (24 February 2005) | doi:10.1038/433790b; Published online 23 February 2005

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Vioxx may go back on sale after scraping past FDA panel

Meredith Wadman

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US advisers vote not to ban painkillers that boost risk of heart attack.

Advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have voted, by a narrow margin, that it should not ban Vioxx — the painkiller withdrawn by drug-maker Merck.They also said that Pfizer's Celebrex and Bextra, two other members of the family of painkillers known as COX-2 inhibitors, should remain available, despite the fact that they too boost patients' risk of heart attack and stroke.