Is it Safe?

Vioxx, produced by the company Merck, is a drug prescribed by doctors to patients suffering from arthritis pain. However, after doing internal research studies, the company found the drug was not as safe as it was advertised to be. Instead of withdrawing the drug immediately, Merck kept it on the marketplace. Here is the company’s story:

Merck’s clinical trial studies in 1988 showed no cardiovascular symptoms, so the FDA gave approval for the drug to be in the marketplace. In 2003, the drug had been a big seller in 80 nations. Later, Merck performed internal studies, which found deadly side effects. At this point in time, the FDA told the company to put a warning label on the prescription drug label about the side effects. Merck began misleading physicians about the side effects, and the FDA and personal injury lawyers saw the company as negligent.

Merck globally removed this drug in September 2004 after its research showed that it increased a patient’s chance of having a heartattack. However, removing this drug did not stop Merck from being sued by Vioxx users. In fact, in the first case against Vioxx (2005), the family was awarded $253.4 million because of a family member’s death after using this drug.

Major Vioxx side effects include: severe allergic reactions (face, lip, tongue or throat swelling), stomach problems (intestinal bleeding), difficulty breathing/swallowing, skin reactions, kidney or chronic kidney failure, and severe liver problems.  These are only some, not all, of the side effects associated with this drug.

If Vioxx has hurt you, or you have taken the drug and suspect it has hurt you, call a personal injury lawyer today. Victims are still coming forward about how Vioxx affected them. Recently, it has been debated whether or not to put Vioxx back on the market. What do you think?