NEW DELHI: Despite pressures from the pharma industry, the government on Monday accepted an expert group's recommendation that popular painkiller Roficoxib should be banned.

The expert group meeting was called hastily after TOI reported that the government had not yet taken any action even though globally, patients were being advised against using the drug.

Pharmaceutical company Merck withdrew the drug, commonly known as Vioxx in the US, following damning evidence that it can cause heart attacks and strokes. But Indian pharmaceutical companies had refused to withdraw the drug, taking the plea that there was no ban by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The fact that Merck had done so despite the drug being a blockbuster (with sales crossing $2.5 billion) in the interest of consumer safety, was overlooked. In fact, scientists are now questioning why it wasn't done earlier.