Vioxx Litigation



Click here to watch our Vioxx information video.

On September 30, 2004 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Merck & Co. had voluntarily pulled Vioxx from the worldwide drug market.  Vioxx is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for the reduction of pain caused by osteoarthritis.  Vioxx has been used to reduce acute pain in children, adults of all ages and women with severe menstrual pain.  Vioxx and other similar drugs, Celebrex and Bextra, are also known as Cox-2 drugs based on the way the work in the body. The FDA approved Vioxx in 1999.  Vioxx was approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in adults and children.  Our lawyers are actively investigating claims against Merck.  We have an attorney that is currently prepared to discuss these matters with you.

Merck withdrew Vioxx from the market after test data proved that users of Vioxx are exposed to an increased risk of serious cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes, compared to patients that were administered a placebo.  The study that determined the increased risks was being conducted in patients at risk of developing recurrent colon polyps.

"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 Dr. Lester M. Crawford.  Dr. Crawford said that the FDA will closely monitor other drugs in the same class for similar adverse side effects.  Merck said in it's announcement of the withdrawal that "patients who are currently taking Vioxx should contact their health care providers to discuss discontinuing use of Vioxx and possible alternative treatments."

The newest report issued by Merck to government regulators shows that patients who took Vioxx were at greater risk for heart attack, heart disease and stroke almost as soon as they took the drug.  The new report contradicts Merck's early contentions that Vioxx only increased a patient's risk after taking the drug for 18 months.

Over two million people worldwide are currently taking Vioxx.  Worldwide sales of Vioxx totaled $2.55 billion last year. Since the drug was approved in 1999, over 91 million Vioxx prescriptions have been written in the United States alone. The drug is sold in some countries under the name Ceoxx.

On August 19, 2005, the first Vioxx jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff who lost her husband to a heart attack caused by Vioxx.  The jury in that case awarded $253.4 million which included $229 million in punitive damages to punish Merck for its actions in releasing Vioxx without proper warnings. On April 11, 2006, another jury also found that Merck purposefully withheld information on Vioxx' risks and awarded a heart attack victim $13.5 million, of which $9 million was to punish Merck for its actions.

The lawyers at Lewis & Roberts are actively accepting inquires from individual Vioxx users and their families who have suffered heart related disease, heart attack, strokes or death related to these illnesses.  We are also accepting inquires from Vioxx users who may not currently suffer from any of the illnesses associated with the drug but are concerned about their exposure to the drug and any long term side effects.  Lewis & Roberts has significant experience in handling defective drug cases against large drug manufacturers.  We have handled numerous cases on behalf of Fen Phen and Baycol users and their families.  Please contact us if you believe that you have suffered any injury or illness as a result of using Vioxx or are concerned about your exposure to the harmful side effects of this drug.

Please visit our pharmaceutical litigation website for more information on Vioxx and other similar Cox-2 drugs, including Bextra and Celebrex.

You may also contact us directly using our pharmaceutical litigation form.