Attorney and Legal Blog

Vioxx Recall leads to Vioxx Lawsuits

(Editor's note: Today a Texas jury awarded a Vioxx user's widow over $253 million from Merck & Co. for her husband's death.)

Vioxx is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammagory drug (NSAID) that reduces inflammation, pain, fever, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis stiffness, and menstrual pain. However, Vioxx has been shown to cause blood clots, heart attacks, stroke, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, kidney damage and other dangerous and potentially deadly side effects.

Lawsuits are being filed against Merck, the manufacturer of Vioxx, for product liability. The claim is that Merck knew the dangers of Vioxx and marketed it anyway. In drug product liability lawsuits, the prosecution must prove that Merck didn’t provide for the safety of the patient and that they were harmed as a direct result from taking Vioxx and from Merck’s negligence. Sometimes drug companies that wish to avoid public scrutiny will settle outside of court, but they will sometimes lengthen the trial to force the plaintiff into agreeing to their settlement.

For patients who have thankfully not yet experienced these dangerous and potentially fatal side effects of Vioxx, you should still be careful in taking the drug and notify your doctor immediately if you notice any of these side effects:

Read the full Vioxx article by Margaret Wommack.

posted by Chris @ 5:37 PM