On September 30, 2004, the international prescription drug company Merck announced 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. Patients who have suffered injuries due to Vioxx have filed litigation against Merck for failing to recall the drug when it first learned of Vioxx's dangerous side effects.

To contact in confidence an experienced personal injury attorney at Lieff Cabraser working on the Vioxx lawsuit, click here.

The painkiller Vioxx was marketed throughout the world, sold in many countries under the name Vioxx and in others as Ceoxx. Lieff Cabraser is working with attorneys and solicitors in:

Argentina

Austria

Canada

Ireland

Italy

South Africa

United
Kingdom

and other countries to bring litigation against Merck in U.S. courts for patients suffering heart attacks and strokes from Vioxx. If you are visiting this website from outside the U.S., please click here to contact an attorney regarding your experiences with Vioxx or Ceoxx.

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Timeline on Vioxx

May 1999: Vioxx Introduced
Merck introduces Vioxx to the market with great fanfare. The FDA approves Vioxx for arthritis pain as well as other kinds of pain in adults. Vioxx is sold in over 80 countries.
2000: Merck Spends Millions on Vioxx Marketing
Merck spends $161 million on Vioxx advertising (more than Pepsi or Budweiser spent on advertising that year).
November 2000: Trial Results Published
New England Journal of Medicine publishes the results of a Merck trial called Vigor. It showed that patients taking the drug were four times as likely -- 0.4% to 0.1% -- to have a heart attack or stroke as patients taking the over-the-counter pain reliever naproxen.
Early 2001: FDA Meets To Discuss Findings
At a meeting of an FDA advisory panel, Merck argues that the trial results might reflect the protective effects of naproxen and not danger from its drug. The committee ends up recommending that the issue be noted on Vioxx's label, and members call for follow-up research to clear up the questions.
February 2001: FDA Approves Vioxx Re-Labeling
FDA Approves Merck request to label Vioxx as safer on the stomach than older painkillers, giving the drug a slight but important edge over Celebrex.
August 2001: Further Examination of Data Published Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic examine data from several trials of Vioxx patients and publish their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association, claiming the “available data raise a cautionary flag about the risk of cardiovascular events" with Cox-2 inhibitors, especially Vioxx.
September 17, 2001: FDA Letter Warns Merck
In an eight-page letter to Merck Chief Executive Raymond Gilmartin, the FDA warns Merck for engaging "in a promotional campaign for Vioxx that minimizes the potentially serious cardiovascular findings that were observed" in a clinical trial comparing Vioxx to naproxen, a less-expensive painkiller. "Your promotional campaign discounts the fact" that in the trial, "patients on Vioxx were observed to have a four to five-fold increase" in heart attacks, compared with patients on naproxen, the letter said.
April 2002: FDA Approves New Vioxx Labeling
The FDA, following up on the advisory panel's advice from the year before, approves new labeling for Vioxx that points out the association with higher heart-attack and stroke risk.
2003: High Volume of Vioxx Sales
Worldwide sales of Vioxx reach $2.5 billion.
October 2003: Merck Study Finds Increased Vioxx Risk
Merck-funded study finds patients taking Vioxx are at a 39% increased risk of heart attack within the first ninety days, compared with Celebrex.
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: Kaiser Reconsiders Vioxx
HMO Kaiser Permanente reconsiders 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 Formal Investigation of Merck
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: A study in Britain's The Lancet concludes Vioxx Should Have Been Pulled from Market in 2000
The British Medical Journal The Lancet published a study that concluded Merck and Federal officials should have withdrawn 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.
December 9, 2004: New FDA Warning Released
FDA warns that people who have recently had heart-bypass surgery shouldn't 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.

Contact Lieff Cabraser

If you or a family member have suffered a serious injury relating to Vioxx use, you may be eligible to file a claim against the manufacturer.

Please click here to contact an attorney at Lieff Cabraser to discuss your legal rights at no cost or obligation. We will handle all inquiries with the strictest confidentiality and sensitivity.

Alternatively, you may call us toll-free at and ask to speak to partner Heather A. Foster.

We also welcome inquiries from counsel considering referring a case. Lieff Cabraser has strong relations with the plaintiffs’ bar across the US

Lieff Cabraser: Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys

Founded in 1972, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is an over sixty attorney law firm with offices in San Francisco, New York, Washington, D.C., Beverly Hills, and Nashville. In 2003 and 2004, the National Law Journal recognized Lieff Cabraser as one of the top 20 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 look forward to communicating with you and answering any questions you may have. To learn more about the competitive advantages our firm offers clients in personal injury and products liability cases, click here.

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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.

"Banned Report on Vioxx Published" Los Angeles Times, Jan. 25, 2005

A report on Vioxx risks previously blocked by the FDA was published online Monday after the agency withdrew its opposition. The study found that as many as 140,000 cases of heart disease in the United States and as many as 56,000 deaths were caused by the painkiller Vioxx during the five years that it was on the market.

To read more press articles on the Vioxx recall and Vioxx class action lawsuit, click here.

Lieff Cabraser has participated in twenty-three $100 million-plus settlements and verdicts. To read a summary, click here.

Click here to read recent press articles on the Vioxx recall and Vioxx lawsuits.

Read about key events in the Vioxx recall and Vioxx lawsuit by clicking here.