A Palm Beach County doctor is suing the
pharmaceutical company that produced Vioxx. According
to the suit against Merck & Co., Dr. Robert Plasko
contends that he developed significant heart damage
as a result of taking Vioxx for approximately nine
months in 2003. The suit is the first of its kind in
Palm Beach County Circuit Court, and one of hundreds
filed across the country. Legal and pharmaceutical
analysts expect thousands of lawsuits to be filed
nationwide. Plasko's suit contends Merck had
unequivocal evidence as early as 2000 that Vioxx was
unsafe and significantly increased the risk of heart
attacks or strokes, yet did not withdraw the product
from the market until September 2004. The lawsuit
includes allegations of fraud - specifically that
Vioxx was a defective product - and that both Merck
and Henderson failed to warn Vioxx users about safety
concerns.
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