Vioxx Recall and Lawsuit Information

MERCK ANNOUNCES VOLUNTARY WITHDRAWAL OF VIOXX

Merck announced the voluntary withdrawal of the arthritis pain killer Vioxx from the market September 30, 2004. The news was welcomed by the US Food and Drug Administration, which had raised concerns about the safety of the drug after a study showed an increased risk of strokes and heart attacks.

"Merck did the right thing by promptly reporting these findings to the FDA and voluntarily withdrawing the product from the market," said acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford in an FDA press release dated September 30, 2004.

The FDA had released a public health advisory to inform patients of the withdrawal and to consult with a physician about alternative medications. The FDA also released Questions & Answers regarding the withdrawal of Vioxx.

An Estimated 160,000 at Risk for Heart Attacks and Strokes

Eric J. Topol, MD of the Cleveland Clinic cardiology department wrote in an editorial for the New England Journal of Medicine that he estimated there are 160,000 Vioxx users at risk for heart attack or stroke.

Free Vioxx Case Evaluation

It may be that you are entitled to compensation due to injuries suffered from the drug Vioxx. A recent study cited Vioxx as the cause for increased chances of strokes and heart attacks.

Our lawyers will provide you with a free case evaluation. Simply click on the following link to complete a short form and one of our attorneys will contact you today. We evaluate cases nationwide. Click here to complete a short form

Vioxx, Heart Attacks and Strokes

A recent study showed that Vioxx doubled the risk of cardiovascular complications, including heart attacks and strokes. Please visit our resources on heart attacks and strokes.

Vioxx News Headlines

Jury Awards Widow $253.4M in Vioxx Trial

(AP) ANGLETON, Texas - A Texas jury found pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. liable Friday for the death of a man who took the once-popular painkiller Vioxx, awarding his widow $253.4 million in damages in the first of thousands of lawsuits pending across the country. More>>>

Merck Updates Vioxx Legal Saga

3/14/2005 11:36 AM EST As the number of Vioxx-related cases mounts, Merck (MRK :NYSE) is discovering that some of its insurers don't want to pay for the company's defense against the lawsuits. Merck says it will fight the insurers' efforts to reduce or eliminate coverage. More>>>

Merck: Excess Insurers Seek To Void Vioxx Obligations

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Merck & Co. ( MRK ), which is facing hundreds of lawsuits related to its withdrawn Vioxx drug, said Friday that some of its insurers are seeking to void their obligations related to Vioxx product liability and shareholder claims. More>>>

NIH Halts Use of COX-2 Inhibitor in Large Cancer Prevention Trial

(19 Jan 2005) The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that it has suspended the use of COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (Celebrex™ Pfizer, Inc.) for all participants in a large colorectal cancer prevention clinical trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The study, called the Adenoma Prevention with Celecoxib (APC) trial, was stopped because analysis by an independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) showed a 2.5-fold increased risk of major fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events for participants taking the drug compared to those on a placebo. More>>>

Bextra Data Suggests All Cox-2 Drugs Pose Heart Risks

TUESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDayNews) -- New data linking a third cox-2 inhibitor painkiller -- Pfizer Inc.'s Bextra -- to increased risks for heart attack or stroke suggest that long-term use of all drugs in this class may pose cardiovascular dangers. More>>>

Vioxx Team Lawyer Files Suit

Jeff Lowe of the Vioxx Team filed suit against Merck in New Jersey state court on behalf of a woman who suffered a severe stroke and has substantial physical problems as a result. This lawsuit represents the first of many that will be filed by The Vioxx Team lawyers on behalf of victims of Vioxx.

Study: Vioxx users had triple heart risk

By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
A study out Tuesday found that Vioxx users were nearly three times more likely to suffer a heart attack than people taking Celebrex, a similar pain reliever. But an accompanying editorial in the medical journal cautions that patients at risk for heart disease still should not take Celebrex or other drugs in its class until doctors know how Vioxx raised heart attack risk. More>>>

Merck Should Have Pulled Vioxx in 2000-Study

BERNE (Reuters) - U.S. drugs giant Merck & Co Inc. should have pulled its Vioxx painkiller from the market four years ago because data showing it raised the risk of heart attacks has existed since 2000, Swiss scientists said on Friday. More>>>

Study: Merck Tried to Bury Vioxx Concerns for Years

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Internal e-mails and other documents from Merck & Co. show the company fought for years to keep safety concerns from undermining the drug's commercial prospects, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. More>>>

FDA Tried to Block Vioxx Results-Lawmaker

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials pressured an agency safety official to keep quiet or water down his findings that the now-withdrawn arthritis drug Vioxx was dangerous to the heart, a leading Senate Republican charged on Thursday. More>>>

FDA Scientists Warned About Vioxx in August

Oct. 7, 2004 (ABC News) — Seven weeks before Merck pulled Vioxx off the market, a Food and Drug Administration medical safety officer presented warnings to his bosses that the drug increased the risk of heart attacks. More>>>

Calls for another look at meds like Vioxx

(AP) -- Scientists in the United States and Great Britain are calling for a fresh look at Celebrex and other medications similar to Vioxx, the heavily advertised arthritis drug pulled from the market last week after a study suggested it doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes. More>>

Vioxx Unsafe: So What About Similar Drugs?

Oct. 7, 2004 (WebMD)-- Now that we know Vioxx wasn't safe, can we trust its sister drugs, Bextra and Celebrex? No, argues a New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM ) editorial. More>>>

Arthritis Drug Vioxx Being Pulled

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The arthritis drug Vioxx, used by 2 million people around the world, is being pulled off the market after a study confirmed longstanding concerns that it raises the risk of heart attack and stroke, the manufacturer, Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK), said on Thursday. More>>>

Merck Halts Worldwide Sales of Vioxx

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. is halting worldwide sales of its blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx, once viewed as possibly being able to prevent some cancers, because new data from a clinical trial found an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Its stock price plunged more than 26 percent as the company said the recall will hurt its earnings. More>>>

Merck announces global withdrawal of Vioxx after study shows risk

NEW YORK (AFP) - Merck and Co. said it was withdrawing its arthritis and pain medication Vioxx around the world after a study revealed an increased risk for strokes and heart attacks. More>>>

US drug watchdog welcomes withdrawal of Vioxx

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Food and Drug Administration advised all people taking the anti-arthritis drug Vioxx to see a doctor after it was withdrawn by its maker Merck and Co. More>>>

Merck Announces Withdrawal of Vioxx Painkiller

NEW YORK (New York Times) -- Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. is pulling its blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx from the market worldwide because new data from a clinical trial found an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. More>>>

Merck Withdraws Vioxx

NEW YORK (Forbes) - Merck announced today a voluntary withdrawal of its blockbuster arthritis treatment Vioxx. Merck's (nyse: MRK ) decision is based on new three-year data from a clinical trial designed to test the effect of Vioxx on preventing colorectalpolyps. After 18 months of treatment a study showed an increased risk for cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke. More>>>

Click here for a free case evaluation by our lawyers of your VIOXX case