Vioxx Updates

Vioxx Lawyer News Alerts

The New York Times: May 31, 2006 - Merck Admits a Data Error on Vioxx Regarding 18-month benchmark

MSN Money: May 2, 2006 - New Study That Shows Vioxx Damage After Two Weeks Contradicts Merck's Defense

LA Times: April 22, 2006 - Family Wins $32 Million in Texas Vioxx Lawsuit

Reuters: April 11, 2006 - 1-Jury awards $9 MLN punitive damages in Vioxx trial

Reuters: April 5, 2006 - Merck Loses Second Vioxx Case; Jury awards $4.5 million in Vioxx verdict against Merck

See Our Other Vioxx Attorney News and Lawsuit Updates

Drug manufacturer Merck & Co. pulled its best-selling arthritis drug Vioxx off the market, based on data indicating the drug increases the risk of heart attack and stroke among users.

The company announced the immediate, voluntary worldwide withdrawal after a three-year colon cancer clinical trial revealed that 18 months after patients started taking Vioxx, test results showed an increased risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular complications

Vioxx, approved in June 1999, is a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and is in a class of drugs commonly referred to as a "Cox-2 Inhibitors." Cox-2 Inhibitors include Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra (More Information About Bextra). Vioxx comes in liquid or pill form and is manufactured by Merck & Co. Vioxx is prescribed to relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis. It can also be used to treat acute pain in adults such as those patients who experience severe pain associated with menstruation. Vioxx works by blocking COX-2 enzymes in the body that trigger pain and inflammation.

In addition to heart attacks and strokes, Vioxx has also been associated with several other life-threatening side effects, including blood clots, angina and nonbacterial meningitis, severe intestinal damage, ulcerations and bleeding, and kidney damage.

Many recent Vioxx lawsuits bring to light questions as to when Merck was first made aware that fatal side effects were associated with Vioxx, and whether the company failed to inform public health authorities of these side effects, in a timely manner. Additionally, Merck extensively marketed Vioxx as highly safe and effective, while minimizing its risks compared to other drugs on the market.

Potential Lawsuit Awards - Updated 8-21-05

An important change in case evaluation criteria is the fact that the first verdict was won against Merck even though the victim had used Vioxx for six to eight months, far less than Merck's claim that eighteen months of use was required in order to cause damage. Several upcoming cases are filed on behalf of individuals who had used Vioxx for less than one year.

Prior to the first Vioxx trial, analysts' estimates assumed jury awards or settlements would require Merck to pay anywhere from $100,000 to $300,000 for each lawsuit, and that Merck might also pay another $1 billion to $2 billion in suits by Vioxx users who claim some other harm. A December 2004 Forbes article stated that Merck's Vioxx Liability Could Reach $38 Billion and the average heart attack settlement could be $650,000. After the first Vioxx trial's results, some analysts report that 4,300 Vioxx cases already have been filed, and that the number could grow to 100,000 with potential liability as high as $20 billion for Merck. Each patient could potentially file a successful lawsuit against the beleaguered drug maker.

A Washington Times article, published August 20, 2005, states that Merck & Co.'s first wrongful-death verdict over its painkiller Vioxx came in a case that was not seen as especially strong, and is likely to inspire thousands of more suits on top of the 4,200 already filed against the drug maker. Analysts already have estimated Merck's liability could be as high as $18 billion, and that number could now rise. Merck's final payment for the first Vioxx trial is likely to be drastically cut to no more than $26.1 million because Texas law caps the punitive damages that made up the bulk of the total.

VIOXX RECALL NEWS LAWYER UPDATES

New Study That Shows Vioxx Damage After Two Weeks Contradicts Merck's Defense
MSN Money: May 2, 2006 - A new study of Canadian health records found that first-time users of Merck's withdrawn painkiller Vioxx had the highest risk of heart attack after only two weeks, delivering a blow to the US drugmaker's litigation defenses.

Family Wins $32 Million in Texas Vioxx Lawsuit
April 22, 2006 - L.A. Times - A Texas jury Friday found that the painkiller Vioxx caused the death of 71-year-old Leonel Garza and awarded $32 million to his family. Mr. Garza had used Vioxx for less than a month before he died.

Jury awards $9 mln punitive damages in Vioxx trial
April 11, 2006 - Reuters - A jury on Tuesday awarded $9 million in punitive damages to a New Jersey man who blamed Merck & Co. Inc.'s Vioxx painkiller for his heart attack.

Jury awards $4.5 mln in Vioxx verdict against Merck
April 5, 2006 - Reuters - Vioxx trial awarded $4.5 million on Wednesday to a 77-year-old New Jersey man after finding the painkiller contributed to his heart attack, casting doubts on the strategy Merck will use in thousands of other suits over the drug.

Merck may settle some Vioxx cases, NJ trial looms
August 26, 2005 - Reuters - Merck & Co Inc. on Friday signaled it may consider settling some lawsuits alleging harm from its Vioxx pain drug, as it gears up for its second Vioxx court battle -- this time in its own backyard.

Merck Found Liable For Man's Death In Vioxx Trial
August 19, 2005 - Bloomberg -Merck & Co. must pay more than $253 million to the family of a Texas man who died after taking the company's Vioxx painkiller.

FDA Researcher Raises Vioxx Heart Attack and Stroke Victims' Estimate to 139,000
January 3, 2005, MSNBC, Dr. David Graham, the U.S. drug safety officer who warned months ago about risks from Merck & Co. Inc.’s painkiller Vioxx, won clearance to publish a study arguing the now-recalled drug may have caused up to 139,000 heart attacks and strokes

Merck Knew Vioxx Was Unsafe By 2000 - 60 Minutes Report
Nov 14, 2004 Alert.net, (Reuters), Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co Inc. had evidence by 2000 that its painkiller Vioxx, which was pulled off the market on Sept. 30, was not safe, a heart specialist told CBS News program "60 Minutes" on Sunday.

Merck Decided Against 2000 Vioxx Study - NY Times
November 13, 2004, Reuters.com, Top executives at pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. Inc. decided in May 2000 against developing a study to test directly whether its Vioxx painkiller drug might pose a heart risk, The New York Times reported on Saturday. Just two months after results from a clinical trial suggested concerns the popular anti-arthritis drug might cause a higher risk of heart attacks, company scientists questioned whether a focused trial was possible and marketing executives apparently feared one would undermine sales, the Times reported in an article on its Web site.

Add The Feds to Those Questioning Vioxx
November 9, 2004, Forbes.com, NEW YORK - Add the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission to the club circling Merck and Vioxx. Yesterday, Merck, in an otherwise routine quarterly filing, revealed that federal investigators were investigating what Merck knew in advance of its recent withdrawal of its popular painkiller on the grounds that it boosted the risk of heart attacks in long-term users.

Wall Street Study Projects 50,000+ Lawsuits
Estimate assumes jury awards or settlements would require Merck to pay anywhere from $100,000 to $300,000 for each lawsuit, and that Merck might also pay another $1 billion to $2 billion in suits by Vioxx users who claim some other harm.

Merck falls as e-mails suggest Vioxx smoking gun
NEW YORK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Merck & Co. Inc.'s <MRK.N> Vioxx recall is mushrooming into a product-liability nightmare that erased another $23 billion of the company's valuation on Monday, but analysts said it will likely withstand the crisis. Merck may eventually pay $5 to $15 billion payout.

Merck Shares Plunge on Vioxx Denial News
November 1, 2004, Forbes.com, Shares of Merck & Co. plunged more than 7 percent Monday after a media report said that documents show the pharmaceutical giant hid or denied evidence for years that its blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx cause heart problems.

Recall Rattles Patients ; Vioxx Heart Risk Should Vanish By Discontinuing Use of Drug, Physician Says.
October 19, 2004, RedNova.com, Some arthritis sufferers who appreciated the anti-inflammatory medicine Vioxx for its power over pain are now worried that the medicine might have hurt their heart. Dr. Brent Mohr, a rheumatologist at the South Bend Clinic, said it will take a while for him and his staff to help patients make the transition to a different pain reliever.

Vioxx was long under research microscope
October 12, 2004, Newsday.com, The study's findings were dramatic: 20 patients on Vioxx had heart attacks. Only four had heart attacks on the comparison drug. But that's not the study that prompted Merck & Co. to yank Vioxx off the market two weeks ago.....

Merck Braces For Wave of Vioxx Lawsuits
Sat, Oct. 02, 2004, Philadelphia Inquirer (Philly.com) -- "Our preliminary .....

How did Vioxx debacle happen?
10/12/2004 USA Today -- Merck yanked Vioxx on Sept. 30 because a new study had found a higher rate of heart attacks and strokes in patients taking the drug than in those on a placebo...

Merck Braces For Wave of Vioxx Lawsuits
Sat, Oct. 02, 2004, Philadelphia Inquirer (Philly.com) -- "Our preliminary estimate is that about 16,632 people may ultimately file a legitimate lawsuit" against Merck over Vioxx, analyst Tim Anderson wrote in a report issued yesterday by the Prudential Equity Group...

CNN: Arthritis drug Vioxx being pulled
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- The arthritis drug Vioxx, used by millions of people around the world, is being pulled off the market after a study confirmed long-standing concerns that it raises the risk of heart attack and stroke, the manufacturer, Merck & Co., said today...

Dow Average Falls After Merck Withdraws Vioxx; Nasdaq Advances
Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped after Merck & Co. retracted its third-quarter profit forecast because the company said it will no longer sell the Vioxx painkiller that generated $2.5 billion in sales last year.

Merck Vioxx Announcement: Merck Announces Voluntary Worldwide Withdrawal of VIOXX
Press Release for VIOXX Provided by Merck Pharmaceuticals (PDF Format)

ABC News: "A Disaster": Merck Recalls Arthritis Drug Vioxx
Merck Recalls Vioxx Because Data From Clinical Trial Finds Higher Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke

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Merck Vioxx Announcement: Merck Announces Voluntary Worldwide Withdrawal of VIOXX Press Release for VIOXX Provided by Merck Pharmaceuticals (PDF Format)

Merck Vioxx Announcement: Merck Announces Voluntary Worldwide Withdrawal of VIOXX
Press Release for VIOXX Provided by Merck Pharmaceuticals (PDF Format)