Newsletter

Vioxx lawsuits swamp courthouses

Saturday was the deadline for many Vioxx users to sue its maker Merck & Co. over heart attacks, strokes or other harm they blame on the drug.

A surge of Vioxx lawsuits has flooded courthouses just ahead of the two-year anniversary of the drugmaker pulling its painkiller Vioxx from the market.

Patients in 22 states, many heavily populated ones, can no longer sue Merck because they have a limit of two years on initiating personal injury lawsuits; four other states have one-year limits.

Merck is vigorously defending Vioxx in the courtroom, racking up its fifth win this week. Most experts say Merck's fight-every-case strategy is discouraging an even bigger flood of suits, although each trial is costing millions.  So far, well over 21,700 suits, many with multiple plaintiffs, have been filed, up drastically from the 14,200 Merck reported as of June 30. Merck also has at least 5,800 agreements waiving the statute of limitations for other Vioxx users.

The company faces at least 190 potential class action suits by Vioxx users and Merck shareholders. Merck & Co. is challenging the one class action already approved, for health insurers and unions seeking to be reimbursed for Vioxx they bought for health plan members - a case that could cost Merck $15 billion ($11.9 billion) if it loses.

If you or a loved one has been injured by the use of Vioxx, please call a personal injury attorney with Jim S. Adler & Associates for help.  We’ll evaluate the facts of your case in a free case review.  Call us today.

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