Date Published: Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
The Vioxx scandal, and the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) role in it, has not brought about much change at the agency, according to a new government report.
Vioxx was approved for use in 1999, and quickly became a bestseller 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... Read Full Story
Date Published: Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Readers of this blog are, by now, aware of the many issues surrounding Merck’s blockbuster nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory medication Vioxx (rofecoxib) and negative cardiac events. The cardiac problems associated with Vioxx, and its subsequent withdrawal from the market , spawned scores of lawsuits. These include Merck shareholder lawsuits, which were recently the subject of oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court
Vioxx was... Read Full Story
Lawyers for Merck & Co. have told the Supreme Court that investors waited too long to sue over its warnings about the risks of its former blockbuster painkiller Vioxx before it was pulled from the market. Merck wants the high court to throw out an investors' class-action securities lawsuit. They sued because of the tens of billions of dollars in shareholder value lost overnight after Merck pulled Vioxx off the market because it doubled risks of heart attack, stroke and death. But Merck said... Read Full Story
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... 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will include payments to the families of over 3,000 people who died of a heart attack or stroke while taking the now-withdrawn painkiller, according to a report on Bloomberg.com.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... 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... 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... 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... Read Full Story
Date Published: Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
The Vioxx trial that is ongoing in Australia has shed new light on the questionable tactics Merck & Co. used to market its dangerous painkiller. Now, according to The Australian, it seems Merck orchestrated “patient loyalty programs” that, publicly, seemed to be about increasing “quality of life.” Privately, reported The Australian, Merck was only seeking improved “patient compliance” and retention while doubling “sales potential... Read Full Story
Date Published: Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
The Vioxx trial that is ongoing in Australia and which has shed new light on the questionable tactics Merck & Co. used to market the dangerous painkiller has, said the Australian, involved a leading American cardiologist who testified that Vioxx played a “substantial contributing role” to the heart attack suffered by a 58-year-old Australian.
Vioxx was approved for use in the U.S. in 1999 and quickly became a blockbuster for Merck... Read Full Story
