Merck pulled Vioxx, a popular pain reliever widely used by arthritis patients, off the market in September, saying it was "putting patient safety first" but the Wall Street Journal reported earlier that company officials had fought for years to protect the highly profitable drug and to keep news of the health risks quiet.
About 20 million Americans had taken Vioxx by the time Merck withdrew it.
The Supreme Court on June 30 declined to to hear a censorship complaint brought by Health...
