The return of Vioxx: Can a drug once deemed deadly be relaunched to treat rare disease?

Since its recall in 2004, the pain drug Vioxx has been a symbol of pharmaceutical danger, starring in countless daytime legal advertisements explaining how you, or perhaps a loved one, might be entitled to millions in settlement dollars. But one company believes the infamous drug deserves a second chance, and is plotting to resurrect the former blockbuster as a treatment for a rare, incurable condition.

Vioxx’s days as a widely used treatment for arthritis and chronic pain came to an end when studies revealed that it roughly doubled patients’ risk of heart attack and stroke, leading to an estimated 60,000 deaths. It was a public health disaster, and it led to a congressional investigation, allegations of lapses at the Food and Drug Administration, and agreement by the manufacturer, Merck, to pay a nearly $5 billion settlement.