SPECIAL REPORT – VIOXX

Now that there is no question that Merck & Co. knew that taking Vioxx over an extended period of time could lead to serious health risks, patients must be vigilant about protecting their health and their futures.

The dramatic withdrawal of Vioxx, the extremely popular and profitable drug manufactured by Merck & Co., raises many serious questions about the accountability of this pharmaceutical company.  The popular arthritis drug was being used by more than a million Americans when the company revealed that studies linked its use with increased risk for cardiovascular disease.  This dangerous drug was on the market for FIVE years - - even though warning bells went off several years ago.

Rick Nemeroff has defended many patients who have been injured by dangerous drugs.  Unfortunately, Vioxx is just one in a long series of pharmaceutical products that have hurt and even killed patients who put their trust in big pharmaceutical companies.   For information about how you can protect yourself and your family, call Rick Nemeroff at 1-888-NEM-LAW-1 or complete this online contact form.

Since the drug was first made available to the general public in 1999, more than 20 million Americans have used Vioxx for varying amounts of time. In September 2001 the FDA sent a warning letter to Merck about the company’s hard-hitting ad campaign, directed towards patients, not doctors. 

The letter indicated that the advertising copy gave short shrift to “the potentially serious cardiovascular findings that were observed” in a clinical trial that compared Vioxx to naproxen, a generic and considerably less-expensive painkiller. The FDA was not pleased with Merck’s discounting the fact that "patients on Vioxx were observed to have a four to five-fold increase" in heart attacks, compared with patients on naproxen.  The FDA knew there was a problem – and so did Merck.

Vioxx is a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) is a member of a group of drugs referred to as "Cox-2 Inhibitors". It was taken in liquid or pill form, and is used to relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis. It was also used to treat acute pain in adults. Vioxx worked by blocking COX-2 enzymes in the body that trigger pain and inflammation.

In the past, Merck flatly denied any possible links between Vioxx and cardiovascular problems. But when a clinical trial sponsored by Merck itself found that patients taking a low dose of Vioxx for more than 18 months were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke as those taking a placebo, the denial had to end.

Not only has extended use of Vioxx been proven to lead to increased risk of heart attack and stroke, but patients who took Vioxx are also more likely to experience intestinal damage, ulcerations and bleeding, blood clots and toxic epidermal necrolysis (a fatal skin disease), than those taking other arthritis pain relievers.

Vioxx has been proven to cause or contribute to the following life threatening injuries:

• Heart Attacks
• Strokes
• Kidney problems, including the possibility of acute kidney failure.
• Liver problems.
• Allergic reactions (swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and throat)
• Non-bacterial type of meningitis.

If you or a loved one has taken Vioxx, it is possible that your cardiovascular health may be at risk.  For more information, contact Rick Nemeroff at 1-888-NEM-LAW-1 or complete this online contact form. We will respond to your inquiry.