Vioxx Lawyers - Vioxx Lawyer Referral Service

April 7, 2006 - Merck was ordered to pay more $3 million to Mr. McDarby and $1.5 million to his wife, finding that Vioxx substantially caused Mr. McDarby's heart attack. The verdict came after less than two days of deliberations by a six-woman, two-man jury.

The jury said the company failed to adequately warn both plaintiffs about the risk factors linking the now-withdrawn painkiller to heart attacks and strokes, but said the drug was only a factor in one of the men's illnesses.

The monthlong trial over Merck's now-withdrawn drug focused on Thomas Cona, 60 years old, and John McDarby, 77, who said they were stricken after using Vioxx for arthritis pain.

The panel said Merck concealed the risks of the drug for both men, but ruled that only Mr. McDarby, a retired insurance agent from Park Ridge , should receive compensation.

The jury did award $3 million to Mr. McDarby and $1.5 million to his wife, finding that Vioxx substantially caused Mr. McDarby's heart attack.

There are more than 10,000 Vioxx lawsuits filed against Merck and some expert's estimate that 25,000 lawsuits will be filed within the next 12 months and those damages could reach as high as 30 billion dollars in settlements.

Merck had long known that the drug caused heart problems but swept the findings under the carpet. We have helped thousands of people file their Vioxx claims against Merck.

We have helped thousands of people find and experienced Vioxx lawyer in each state. Legal assistance is surest way to protect your rights and secure just compensation for your family.

VIOXX ® prescriptions have been written for Ninety one million people in the U.S. alone.
Merck now faces 9,650 personal injury and other Vioxx-related lawsuits.
Wall Street analysts have projected ultimately at between $18 billion and $30 billion.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a study on November 2004 that said VIOXX ® may have contributed to an additional 27,785 heart attacks or deaths from 1999 to 2003.
VIOXX ® (rofecoxib) was used for arthritis and acute pain medication.
VIOXX ® Worldwide sales in 2003 were $2.5 billion.
VIOXX ® was launched in the United States in 1999 and has been marketed in more than 80 countries.
VIOXX ® October 13, 2003 - Australia 's October newsletter for Adverse Drug Reaction Advisory Committee (ADRAC) warned that VIOXX ® has been linked to a variety of potentially adverse health effects including heart attacks, convulsions and birth defects.
VIOXX ® May 27, 2002 - New research suggests that VIOXX ® may delay healing of a broken bone.
VIOXX ® April 2002 - The FDA implemented VIOXX ® labeling changes to include the findings of increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke from the VIGOR study.
VIOXX ® April 2002 - T he Journal of the American Medical Association has linked the popular and heavily marketed arthritis drug, VIOXX ®, to dangerous blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes.
Four million people suffer from ischemic episodes in the U.S.
Eighty percent of all strokes are Ischemic strokes.
A stroke takes place nearly every 45 seconds.

Approximately 700,000 Americans each year suffer a new or recurrent stroke. Ischemic stroke is the condition where oxygen is restricted to brain through a blockage of arteries in the neck and brain. Stroke is characterized by the sudden loss of circulation to an area of the brain, resulting in a corresponding loss of neurologic function. Also called cerebrovascular accident or stroke syndrome, stroke is a nonspecific term encompassing a heterogeneous group of pathophysiologic causes, including thrombosis, embolism, and hemorrhage.

Strokes currently are classified as either hemorrhagic or ischemic. Acute ischemic stroke refers to strokes caused by thrombosis or embolism and accounts for 80% of all strokes.

VIOXX ® , arthritis and acute pain medicine, was pulled from the market by Merck after a study confirmed that it increases the risk of serious cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes.

"We are taking this action because we believe it best serves the interests of patients," Merck Chairman and CEO Raymond V. Gilmartin said in a press release.

The company said its decision to withdraw VIOXX ® from the market is based on new three-year data from a colon cancer trial.

"In this study, there was an increased relative risk for confirmed cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, beginning after 18 months of treatment in the patients taking VIOXX ® compared to those taking placebo," Merck said in a press release.