A review of pain relievers has found that some are safer than others. For instance, a widely-used medicine may carry as much risk of heart disease as Vioxx, an arthritis drug taken off the market two years ago.

Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID has been around for decades and is widely prescribed throughout the world, particularly in Europe. Common doses were found to increase the risk of "cardiovascular events", primarily heart attack or sudden death by as much as 40%

Merck said on Wednesday that a possible successor to its painkiller Vioxx was shown in a large study to be no more harmful to the heart than an older painkiller still being used widely.

The Merck drug, Arcoxia is currently sold in 62 countries. However, regulators in the U.S. have shied away from approving the drug. Analysts had said Arooxia stands little chance of approval due to concerns of similar risks on the heart as Vioxx; Vioxx was removed from the market in 2004 due to safety concerns

A successful cancer-fighting drug may also damage the heart, although a researcher says leukemia patients who need Gleevec should not abandon it.

While effectively treating cancer, Gleevec can lead to heart failure in some patients, said Dr. Thomas Force, who teaches medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

His study, published Sunday in the on line edition of the journal Nature Medicine, was prompted by reports that 10 patients taking Gleevec for chronic myelogenous leukemia developed severe congestive heart failure

Washington, DC (AHN)-The first vaccine to protect against most cervical cancer won federal approval Thursday.

Merck and Co. Inc. says the vaccine Gardasil, approved for use in girls and women ages 9 to 26, prevents infection by four strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease

A Canadian study, which suggests that Merck's disputed arthritis painkiller, Vioxx, increases heart attack risk in first few weeks of use, may pose problems for the pharmaceutical giant.

The study, reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, is based on the medical records of 3,947 patients over the age of 65 who took Vioxx, and 239 of them had heart attacks