Merck Counts the Cost of Vioxx Withdrawal
January 26, 2005 08:04

The Food & Drug Administration said it believes Vioxx could have caused 140,000 heart attacks in the U.S. alone. Merck's net income in the final three months of 2004 fell 21 percent to $1.1 billion as a result of the lost sales, the legal provisions and the cost of cutting 5,100 sales jobs.

Fort Myers, FL is now the legal epicenter of the national Vioxx controversy. Tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m., seven distinguished federal judges drawn from across the country will convene an extraordinary hearing in downtown Fort Myers at the Federal Courthouse building to map out the course of one of the most complex and costly mass torts in the history of the world. Many financial journals predict Merck's exposure could exceed $20 billion in this case.

The class action lawsuit filed by Viles & Beckman, P.A. asks Merck for free ongoing health monitoring and care for those who have taken Vioxx in addition to monetary compensation for medical bills, punitive damages, and pain and suffering.

http://www.madisonrecord.com/news/newsview.asp?c=141460
Rosalyn Jackson filed an 11-count suit against Merck & Co. and Walgreen's claiming a stroke she suffered was caused by taking Vioxx. ... claims she was unaware of the dangers posed by Vioxx until she developed heart disease and had to undergo a quadruple bypass. ... Merck pulled Vioxx on Sept. 30 after a study showed it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke if taken for more than 18 months.

http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=48&story_id=16226&name=Twelve+Vioxx+deaths+'probable'+in+Belgium+claims+top+doctor
At least twelve people are thought to have died in Belgium as a result of taking the controversial painkiller Vioxx. According to a senior advisor to Belgian Health Minister Rudy Demotte, it is "probable" that the twelve patients died as a direct result of taking the drug, La Derniere Heure reported on Wednesday. ... The Vioxx scandal has raised doubts about a whole series of other similar drugs.