A story today by the Associated Press about the current Vioxx trial in New Jersey says Merck’s former research chief acknowledged that data from studies on the effects of the painkiller Vioxx on Alzheimer’s disease patients, showing an increased incidence of deaths, were not immediately disclosed to physicians. When asked by the plaintiff’s attorney if doctors should have been made aware of the study, the Merck scientist replied: “It’s data that physicians should know.”