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Colson Hicks Eidson has extensive experience representing victims in products liability actions who have suffered from taking prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Makers of dangerous and defective products need to be held accountable for the injuries and deaths that result from use of their products. Our team of product liability attorneys has national experience taking on big names, such as Ford, Toyota and Firestone. If you developed a serious injury or illness after taking Vioxx, talk to us and see what your best options are.
Sometimes dangerous drugs remain on the market despite their risk of serious side effects. Such was the case with the COX-2 inhibitor Vioxx (rofecoxib), a Merck & Co. product initially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999 for the treatment of certain types of pain.
Later, in 2002, the FDA approved it for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Allegedly, after realizing that the drug posed serious cardiovascular risks, Merck kept Vioxx on the U.S. market for five years, harming thousands of patients nationwide.
Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. voluntarily pulled Vioxx from the worldwide market in 2004 after an internal study found that patients taking the drug had a significantly higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke than patients taking placebos.
It did not take long for allegations to surface that Merck knew about Vioxx’s serious cardiovascular risks and other Vioxx side effects before it pulled the drug from the market.
In November 2011, Merck pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and agreed to pay $950 million to resolve charges that it illegally promoted Vioxx as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis before it received FDA approval for such a use.
When a pharmaceutical giant like Merck shows a reckless disregard for patient safety, our pharmaceutical lawyers fight to hold the company accountable.
In 2007, Merck agreed to pay $4.85 billion to settle thousands of patients and families involved in pending Vioxx litigation. The settlement agreement capped Merck’s liability at this amount regardless of how many claimants participated in the settlement.
Merck agreed to settle around the same time the statute of limitations for Vioxx claims began to expire in many states. A statute of limitations is the time frame during which someone can file a lawsuit.
To find out if you qualify for damages in the Vioxx settlement, contact our drug injury attorneys today. We understand how statutes of limitations affect your claim, and we can help you seek the avenue of justice suitable for your situation. There is no charge to meet with us, and we accept clients nationwide.
