Vioxx Attorney - Vioxx Lawyer
On September 30th, 2004 Merck voluntary withdrew Vioxx from the market. In a 3 year year study on the effects of the drugs, patients who took Vioxx for more than 18 months experienced a greater chance of a heart attack or stroke than those who did not take Vioxx.
Since that time, more than 3,800 lawsuits have been filed by people seeking recourse against Merck. It has been estimated that Vioxx could have caused 27,785 heart attacks or deaths since it was approved for use in 1999. Part of the problem Merck is facing is that there are internal documents showing that Merck knew about the possible risk of heart attack and stroke before they announced it. The company provided help to their sales teams in avoiding questions about the rumors in the medical community surrounding the possible side effects of Vioxx.
On Friday, August 19th, 2005, a verdict was reached in the first Vioxx case to go to trial. The jury awarded the widow of a man who died while taking Vioxx $253 million. The plaintiff's attorney, Mark Lanier, argued in court that Merck did not act responsibly because they hide Vioxx's risks while aggressively marketing the drug. After hearing the verdict, Mr. Lanier announced outside the courtroom that "the justice system in America works and it works very well,"
Jonathan Skidmore, an attorney for Merck, said that the company would appeal and that it believed it had properly researched and marketed Vioxx. "We believe the plaintiff did not meet the standard set by Texas law to prove Vioxx caused Mr. Ernst's death," Mr. Skidmore said.
Unfortunately for Merck, this verdict sets the public precedent on Vioxx trials. "They should settle as many as they reasonably can," said Harvey W. Gurland Jr., an attorney. "Although, when you have a verdict of $253 million, it makes it very difficult from the defense side to settle. All of the plaintiffs are going to say, 'Here is our benchmark."
The official web site for Vioxx can still be found here.
Vioxx Attorney News
Since that time, more than 3,800 lawsuits have been filed by people seeking recourse against Merck. It has been estimated that Vioxx could have caused 27,785 heart attacks or deaths since it was approved for use in 1999. Part of the problem Merck is facing is that there are internal documents showing that Merck knew about the possible risk of heart attack and stroke before they announced it. The company provided help to their sales teams in avoiding questions about the rumors in the medical community surrounding the possible side effects of Vioxx.
On Friday, August 19th, 2005, a verdict was reached in the first Vioxx case to go to trial. The jury awarded the widow of a man who died while taking Vioxx $253 million. The plaintiff's attorney, Mark Lanier, argued in court that Merck did not act responsibly because they hide Vioxx's risks while aggressively marketing the drug. After hearing the verdict, Mr. Lanier announced outside the courtroom that "the justice system in America works and it works very well,"
Jonathan Skidmore, an attorney for Merck, said that the company would appeal and that it believed it had properly researched and marketed Vioxx. "We believe the plaintiff did not meet the standard set by Texas law to prove Vioxx caused Mr. Ernst's death," Mr. Skidmore said.
Unfortunately for Merck, this verdict sets the public precedent on Vioxx trials. "They should settle as many as they reasonably can," said Harvey W. Gurland Jr., an attorney. "Although, when you have a verdict of $253 million, it makes it very difficult from the defense side to settle. All of the plaintiffs are going to say, 'Here is our benchmark."
The official web site for Vioxx can still be found here.
Vioxx Attorney News
