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Vioxx Recall: The
international prescription drug company
Merck announced in September 2004 the worldwide
withdrawal of the arthritis medication Rofecoxib,
sold in most countries under the brand name
Vioxx, because a study showed an increased
risk of heart attack and stroke.
Vioxx
Trial: Patients
who have suffered injuries due to Vioxx
have filed litigation against Merck for
selling Vioxx even though Merck allegedly
was aware of Vioxx's dangerous
side effects. |
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Vioxx
Dangers, Vioxx Recall
and Vioxx Suit Timeline
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- Early
2004: Merck Faces Securities Litigation
A securities class action complaint is filed on behalf
of several Merck investors alleging the company engaged
in a marketing campaign that included false and misleading
statements concerning the safety profile of Vioxx
and that company insiders sold personally held shares
of Merck for over $175 million in proceeds.
- August
2004: Vioxx Dangers Cause Reconsideration
HMO Kaiser Permanente reconsiders use of Vioxx for its member
patients after an FDA study finds that patients who
had taken more than 25 mg a day were 3.15 times more
likely to have a heart problem.
- September
30, 2004: Vioxx Pulled from Market
Merck withdraws Vioxx from the market. The FDA issues
a Public Health Advisory to inform patients of this
action and to advise them to consult with a physician
about alternative medications.
- October
6, 2004: Editorials Question Safety of All Arthritis
Drugs; Call for Investigation of Merck and Vioxx
The New England Journal of Medicine issues
two editorials calling for renewed scrutiny into the
entire class of arthritis drugs to see if other drugs
in the category also cause heart problems. In one
editorial, Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Eric Topol,
who was the first to raise the alarm about Vioxx three
years ago, calls for a formal government investigation
into how Merck and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
left Vioxx on the market for so long after concerns
about its possible heart risks had been raised.
- November
5, 2004: Study in Britain's The Lancet Concludes
Vioxx Recall Should Have Occurred in 2000
The British Medical Journal The Lancet published
a study that concluded Merck and Federal officials
should have recalled the painkiller Vioxx from the
market as early as 2000 because studies of the drug
had clearly shown that it doubled the risk of heart
attack among users.
- November
2004: Vioxx Investigations Launched
The Justice Department and the Securities & Exchange
Commission launch investigations into Merck's handling
of Vioxx. U.S. Senate begins hearings on how Merck
and the FDA responded to safety concerns about Vioxx. Vioxx class action suit filed in many states in the United States.
- December
9, 2004: New FDA Warning Released
FDA warns that people who have recently had heart-bypass
surgery should not take Bextra, after a study showed
patients who had just had cardiac surgery and were
treated with Bextra were more likely to have heart
and blood clotting problems than those who didn't
receive the drug.
- December
17, 2004 - Celebrex Problems Found
Pfizer said a government-sponsored study of Celebrex
in cancer prevention found a significant risk of cardiovascular
problems. A second cancer study released simultaneously,
though, showed no increased risk. Pfizer declined
to recall Celebrex and advised patients using Celebrex
to consult with their doctors.
- December
21, 2004 - Naproxen/Aleve Problems Found
A government clinical trial showed an increased risk
for heart attacks and strokes in patients taking Naproxen,
sold by Bayer under the brand name Aleve. The FDA
recommends consumers limit their use of naproxen to
the amount suggested on the label and not take the
pills for longer than ten days unless advised to do
so by a doctor.
- April
7, 2005 - Bextra Withdrawn From Market
Pfizer
Inc. agrees to voluntarily recall its painkiller Bextra
at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
due to the risk of heart attack and stroke. The FDA
also asks Pfizer to include a black box warning on
its painkiller Celebrex.
- August 19, 2005 - Merck Found Liable in Vioxx Suit
In the first Vioxx death trial, a Texas state court jury finds Merck liable for the death of Robert Ernst, who took Vioxx, awarding his widow, Carol Ernst, $253.4 million in damages.
- December 8, 2005 - Editorial Says Merck Concealed Heart Attacks in Clinical Study
An editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine said Merck concealed heart attacks suffered by three patients during a clinical study of Vioxx in a report on the study published in the Journal in 2000.
- February 17, 2006 - Merck Cleared of Responsibility in the Death of Florida Man
A federal jury clears Merck & Co. of any responsibility in the death of a 53-year-old Florida man who had a heart attack after taking Vioxx for less than a month.
- April 5, 2006 - New Jersey Man Wins $4.5 Million Verdict Against Merck
A state jury finds Merck & Co. liable for one of two former Vioxx users’ heart attacks and orders $4.5 million in damages in a closely-watched trial involving two New Jersey men.
- March 13, 2007 - Vioxx Jury Awards $47.5M
to Idaho Couple
A jury in Atlantic City rules that Merck & Co.'s
painkiller Vioxx contributed to an Idaho postal worker's
heart attack, reversing the verdict in the man's first
trial and hitting Merck with a total of $47.5 million
in damages.
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| Lieff Cabraser: Experienced Product Liability Lawyers |
| Founded in 1972, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP is an over fifty attorney law firm with offices in San Francisco, New
York and Nashville. For the last five years, the National Law Journal has
recognized Lieff Cabraser as one of the top plaintiffs’ law firms
in America. |
| For our personal injury cases, we bring a team of experienced lawyers. Each client is assigned a partner and an associate. In addition, we have on staff multiple nurses, legal assistants, scientific analysts and case clerks to assist the attorneys. |
| We have represented thousands of patients who ingested prescription drugs with dangerous undisclosed side effects, and patients who received defective medical devices in personal injury lawsuits across America, including residents of Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming. |
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Lieff
Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
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| Trademark Notice |
| "Vioxx" is
a registered trademark of Merck. Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP is in no way affiliated with Merck, and the Vioxx
trademark is used solely for informational purposes. |
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Copyright © 2007 Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP |
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Merck
Agrees to Resolve U.S. VIOXX® Product
Liability Lawsuits
November 9, 2007
Merck & Co., Inc.
announced that
it has entered into
an agreement to resolve
state and federal myocardial
infarction (MI) and
ischemic stroke claims
already filed against
the Company in the
United States. More... |
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