Vioxx
A widely prescribed arthritis drug, Vioxx has been found to lead to a higher risk of stroke and heart attack in users. A widely prescribed arthritis drug, Vioxx has been removed from the market after a three-year study proved its chronic use led to a higher risk of stroke and heart attack in users, even though it caused fewer stomach ulcers and bleeding compared to other arthritis drugs.
Vioxx was reportedly marketed as a more effective drug for relieving arthritis, but with fewer side effects as other drugs.
The producers of Vioxx, Merck & Co., launched the drug in 1999 and has reaped almost USD2.5 billion in 2003.
Not just prescribed for arthritis, Vioxx was also used to treat acute pain in adults and painful menstrual cycles.
New update:
On 6 Sept 2007, the class action lawsuit against Merck & Co. over its withdrawn painkiller Vioxx was rejected by the New Jersey Supreme Court.
The suit had been filed by a union health plan which represented all insurance plans that forked out for Vioxx prescriptions. That meant 80 per cent of all Vioxx sold.
This is reportedly a victory for the pharmaceutical company that nearly had to face approximately 27,000 individual lawsuits from those who claimed the drug caused strokes and heart attacks. It was projected that the company would lose up to US$18 billion in compensation payments.
Related posts:
- Merck puts an end to state probes on Vioxx
- Canadian class action against Vioxx
- Cholesterol drugs Zeta and Vytorin face class action suits
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