Vioxx

Date Published: Thursday, October 1st, 2009 The New Jersey Supreme Court has thrown out a Merck & Co. appeal of a $4.5 million Vioxx award. According to a Business Week report, the dismissal ended the last unresolved Vioxx patient lawsuit. Vioxx was approved for use in 1999, and quickly became a blockbuster for Merck, with annual sales of $2.5 billion. However, the painkiller was pulled off the market in 2004 after an analysis of patients using Vioxx linked the defective drug to more than 27,000 heart attacks or sudden cardiac deaths in the U.S. from 1999 through 2003. The withdrawal prompted thousands of product ... Read Full Story

Date Published: Monday, September 28th, 2009 The $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement announced by Merck & Co. in 2007 will include payments to the families of over 3,000 people who died of a heart attack or stroke while taking the now-withdrawn painkiller, according to a report on Bloomberg.com. Vioxx was approved for use in 1999, and quickly became a blockbuster for Merck, with annual sales of $2.5 billion. However, the painkiller was pulled off the market in 2004 after an analysis of patients using Vioxx linked the defective drug to more than 27,000 heart attacks or sudden cardiac deaths in the U.S. from 1999 through ... Read Full Story

Date Published: Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 In yet another recent legal settlement, Merck & Co has agreed to pay $80 million to settle 190 claims concerning its recalled pain medication, Vioxx , reports Reuters. In a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, reported Reuters, Merck said it recorded an “$80 million charge” in this year’s second quarter for “the settlement with third-party payors,” including “unions and health insurance plans.” Last month, we wrote that another settlement was reached in a lawsuit allegedly involving the death of John Henderson, according to the Madison St. Clair Record. Henderson’s wife, Norma Henderson, and her attorneys agreed ... Read Full Story

Date Published: Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 In the ongoing legal activity surrounding Merck & Company’s recalled blockbuster pain medication, Vioxx , another settlement has been reached in a lawsuit allegedly involving the death of John Henderson, the Madison St. Clair Record just reported. Henderson’s wife, Norma Henderson, and her attorneys agreed to accept the proposed settlement in excess of $200,000, said the Madison St. Clair Record. The lawsuit was originally filed against the drug giant on July 9, 2003 and alleged that Vioxx was responsible for the death of Mr. Henderson, the Madison St. Clair Record explained. Most recently, a lawsuit emerged in the ... Read Full Story

Date Published: Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 In the continuing legal problems over painkiller Vioxx , a new lawsuit has emerged in the United States naming a number of federal lawmakers as defendants. The lawsuit was filed this week and names U.S. democratic senators Patrick Leahy (Vermont), Russell Feingold (Wisconsin), and Edward Kennedy (Massachusetts), said Highlands Today. Vioxx was approved for use in the U.S. in 1999, quickly becoming a blockbuster for drug maker, Merck & Co., with annual sales of $2.5 billion. Vioxx was pulled off the market in 2004 after an analysis of patients using Vioxx linked the defective drug to over 27,000 ... Read Full Story