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Health Highlights: Aug. 19, 2008

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Christina Applegate Has Double Mastectomy

Television star Christina Applegate had a double mastectomy three weeks ago after being diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this month, and she will undergo reconstructive surgery over the next eight months, she revealed Tuesday.

Even though the cancer was contained in one breast, the 36-year-old actress decided to have both breasts removed, the Associated Press reported.

The Emmy-nominated star of "Samantha Who?" said Tuesday on ABC News' "Good Morning America" said it was a logical decision, since her mother battled breast cancer and she tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation linked to breast and ovarian cancer.

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Applegate, now cancer-free, plans to launch a program to help women at high risk for breast cancer pay for an MRI, which isn't always covered by insurance, the AP reported. She's scheduled to appear on a one-hour TV special, "Stand Up to Cancer," on Sept. 5 to raise funds for cancer research.

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Vioxx Study Was 'Stealth' Marketing: Report

Stealth marketing was the main goal of a 1999 Vioxx study touted by Merck & Co. as proof that the painkiller caused fewer stomach problems than a less expensive painkiller called naproxen, according to a report published Tuesday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

The actual purpose of the ADVANTAGE study wasn't scientific, but rather to get doctors and patients in the habit of using Vioxx just in time for its launch, according to the report authors, who uncovered internal Merck documents, the Associated Press said.

The documents revealed that Merck's marketing division designed ADVANTAGE and handled the study's data collection and analysis, the news service said.

It's long been suspected that drug companies regularly do such marketing-oriented studies, but there's never been a "smoking gun" proving it, the report authors noted.

The Annals of Internal Medicine published the ADVANTAGE study in 2003 but was not told the true purpose of the study, according to an accompanying editorial co-authored by journal editior Dr. Harold C. Sox, the AP reported.