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GENERAL INFORMATION |
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Vioxx Recall and Vioxx Side Effects |
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| On September
30, 2004, the international prescription
drug company Merck announced the recall
of its arthritis and pain medication
Rofecoxib, sold under the brand name
Vioxx, because a study showed an increased
risk of heart attack and stroke. The study that led
to the Merck Vioxx recall showed that patients
regularly taking Vioxx faced twice the risk of
a heart attack as patients not taking Vioxx.
Vioxx users with a history of cardiovascular
issues were at a five-fold increased risk. |
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| On
August 17, 2006, a federal jury in New Orleans
found unanimously that Merck had failed to
warn doctors about Vioxx’s risks and
was responsible for the heart attack suffered
by retired FBI agent, Gerald Barnett and
awarded $51 million in damages. Lieff
Cabraser was co-counsel in the Barnett case.
Lieff Cabraser attorneys Don Arbitblit and
Jennifer Gross participated in the trial,
working closely with attorneys Mark Robinson
and Andy Birchfield. The Court subsequently
vacated the jury award and ordered a new
trial. Lieff Cabraser is continuing
to work with co-counsel in the prosecution
of the Federal court Vioxx cases. |
| On April 4, 2006,
a New Jersey jury found that Merck failed to
adequately warn patients about the risk factors
linking Vioxx to heart attacks and strokes.
The jury found Merck liable for one of two
former Vioxx users' heart attacks and ordered
he receive $4.5 million in damages. The jury
found that Vioxx was not a factor in the other
plaintiff's injuries. |
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| In August 2005, a
Texas jury awarded $253.4 million in damages
to Carol Ernst, whose husband died in 2001
of heart arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat,
after taking Vioxx for eight months. It was
the first wrongful death lawsuit against Merck
over Vioxx. In November 2005, a New Jersey
jury ruled in favor of Merck in the second
lawsuit against the company to go to trial. |
| Families of Vioxx
patients, including clients of Lieff Cabraser,
who have died and patients who have suffered
severe injuries from heart attacks or strokes
after having ingested Vioxx have filed
Vioxx lawsuits against Merck. |
| The Vioxx cases allege
that Merck falsely promoted the safety of Vioxx
and failed to disclose the full range of the
drug's dangerous side effects. |
| Testimony and documents
have been gathered to show that Merck was long
aware of Vioxx's potential heart risks but
hid those risks from patients. Scientists at
Merck were worried about Vioxx heart attack
risks as early as 1997, two years before Merck
began selling Vioxx. |
| The law in most states
provides several personal injury claims for persons
who have been seriously injured by a prescription
drug with dangerous, undisclosed side effects.
These claims include strict liability for a defective
product, breach of warranty, negligence, and misrepresentation. |
| Damages sought against
Merck for Vioxx drug side effects and injuries
include: |
- Physical pain and suffering, mental anguish
and physical impairment;
- Medical expenses associated with the allegedly
defective product; and
- Loss of earnings and/or earning capacity.
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| For Vioxx patients who
have died, family members can bring a wrongful
Vioxx death lawsuit. |
| Founded in 1972, Lieff
Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is an over-fifty
attorney law firm with offices in San Francisco,
New York and Nashville. For the last seven years,
the National
Law Journal has selected
Lieff Cabraser as one of the top plaintiffs' law
firms in the nation. |
| For our personal injury
Vioxx cases, we bring a
team of experienced lawyers. In addition, we
have on staff multiple nurses, legal assistants,
scientific analysts and case clerks to assist our
Vioxx attorneys. Learn more about advantages
we offer patients with Vioxx problems and injuries. |
| We have been contacted
by thousands of Vioxx drug patients nationwide
as part of the Vioxx litigation. We have represented
patients who ingested prescription drugs with dangerous,
undisclosed side effects in personal injury lawsuits
across America, including residents of Alaska,
Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado,
Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii,
Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico,
Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West
Virginia and Wyoming. |
| Persons living outside
the United States who have been injured by an American
product manufactured may also in certain cases
file Vioxx lawsuits for compensation for heart
attacks and strokes in United States courts. |
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| Trademark
Notice: Personal Injury Lawyer America is an electronic newsletter
from Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP. Lieff Cabraser
represents clients in a wide range of cases, including personal
injury and wrongful
death lawsuits. Our personal injury attorneys
| lawyers are committed to providing the very best representation
and support possible for our clients. |
Lieff Cabraser
is not affiliated in any way with any trademark owner. The use of
any trademarks on this site is for product identification and information
purposes only.
About Lieff Cabraser: We have
offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. Our lawyers have
represented clients in personal injury, wrongful death and
rollover crashes and product defect lawsuits across America.
Disclaimer: The hiring of legal
professionals is an important decision that should not be based on
advertising alone. Please read our disclaimer. |
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| Copyright © 2010 Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP |
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