Category Archives: Vioxx

Merck Says It Is “Target” of Federal Investigation Involving Vioxx

Written On March 24, 2009 By Bob Kraft

The AP reports, "Merck & Co. said Monday it received a letter from federal prosecutors notifying the company it is 'a target' of a grand jury investigation involving the painkiller Vioxx [rofecoxib], which Merck pulled from the market in 2004." The company said the investigation, which it "has previously disclosed," has "been ongoing since 2004." [...]

Posted in Vioxx

Florida Sues Merck For Deceptive Marketing Of Vioxx

Written On October 2, 2008 By Bob Kraft

As reported in the South Florida Business Journal, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has filed suit against Merck & Co. for alleged deceptive marketing and promotion of the prescription drug Vioxx. Here are excerpts from the article:

The lawsuit claims that Merck repeatedly failed to disclose the
drug’s adverse effects while offering it to the state’s Medicaid
program [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

In Throwing Out Verdict, Houston Appellate Court Usurps Role Of Trial Judge And Jury

Written On June 1, 2008 By Bob Kraft

The Houston Chronicle ran an interesting commentary this weekend about the Houston Court of Civil Appeals overturning a plaintiff victory against Merck, Inc. in a Vioxx lawsuit. The gist of the article is that the appeals court has taken the place of the judge and jury. The court disregarded the decisions made by the people [...]

Posted in Political and/or Judicial, Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Merck Agrees To $58M Settlement Over Vioxx Ad Claims

Written On May 21, 2008 By Bob Kraft

As reported in the Dallas Morning News, Merck
& Co. is paying $58 million as part of a multistate settlement
concerning advertising of the now-withdrawn painkiller, Vioxx. Here are excerpts:

The settlement announced Tuesday addresses allegations that Merck’s
advertising deceptively downplayed the health risks of Vioxx. New
Jersey-based Merck is not admitting any wrongdoing under the
settlement.
Texas’ share of the [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Product Liability or Medical Devices, Vioxx

Texas Vioxx Verdict Overturned

Written On May 15, 2008 By Bob Kraft

Vioxx plaintiffs were dealt a blow yesterday when a Texas appellate court overturned a 2006 jury verdict. The verdict was rendered against Merck in the amount of $32,000,000. This was automatically reduced under Texas law, but has now been reversed completely because the San Antonio appellate court said there was legally insufficient evidence to support [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Challenge To Vioxx Settlement Withdrawn

Written On December 27, 2007 By Bob Kraft

The challenge to the Vioxx settlement made on ethical grounds was voluntarily withdrawn in a brief filed on December 22. The supporting papers in the motion to withdraw state that the parties are meeting on the issue and have made "great progress," but do not specify what that progress is.

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Vioxx Lawyers Move To Change Settlement Agreement

Written On December 21, 2007 By Bob Kraft

The New York Times is reporting that several plaintiff’s lawyers have "asked the federal judge overseeing the $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement to give them the freedom to keep some of their clients outside the settlement while still allowing other clients to accept it."
One portion of the proposed agreement has been a big problem for a [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Link of the Day – WorstPills.org

Written On May 13, 2007 By Bob Kraft

It seems like every week we learn of a new medication that carries severe side effects, not mentioned in the drug literature. Now there’s a great source for getting this information in a timely manner. Public Citizen has a Web site called WorstPills that will send you warnings about dangerous drugs. You do have to [...]

Posted in Link of the Day, Medical and Health Resources, Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Ruling Puts Texas Vioxx Lawsuits on Hold

Written On April 21, 2007 By Bob Kraft

In a very significant setback to consumers everywhere, and to Vioxx victims specifically, a Texas state district judge yesterday made a ruling that reflects the current Republican viewpoint that business should be protected from lawsuits at any cost to injured people. Here are excerpts from an article at MyWay.com:
More than 1,000 personal injury lawsuits filed [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Tort Reform, Vioxx

Another Vioxx Victory For Merck

Written On March 27, 2007 By Bob Kraft

This summary is based on a report issued moments ago by Harris Martin Publishing:
An Illinois state court jury has found Merck & Co. Inc. to be free of negligence in the Midwest’s first Vioxx trial, rejecting a widower’s claims that the company failed to adequately warn his wife’s physician about the alleged dangers of Vioxx [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Merck Suffers Setback In Vioxx Trial

Written On March 12, 2007 By Bob Kraft

In a retrial of a case involving an Idaho postal worker’s heart attack, an Atlantic City, New Jersey jury ruled today that Vioxx did contribute to the death of the plaintiff. This reversed the verdict of the original trial, and the jury awarded the plaintiff $20 million in damages. The jury will now decide whether [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Federal Judge Refuses To Allow Vioxx Class-Action Suit

Written On November 22, 2006 By Bob Kraft

As reported in the Houston Chronicle, federal Judge Eldon Fallon decided today that the more than 7000 pending Vioxx lawsuits cannot be combined into one single class-action lawsuit. The plaintiffs generally preferred the simplicity and reduced expenses of a single suit, but the manufacturer of Vioxx, Merck, preferred the complexity of many separate lawsuits. From [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Merck Scores Win In Latest Vioxx Verdict

Written On September 28, 2006 By Bob Kraft

Merck, the manufacturer of Vioxx, won the latest Vioxx trial this week in federal court in New Orleans. That gives Merck five wins and four losses in the first ten Vioxx trials. One other Merck victory has been overturned, and is on appeal.
As allowed in the federal multi-case system, this latest trial was a case [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Partial Setback For Vioxx Plaintiffs

Written On August 30, 2006 By Bob Kraft

In a partial setback for Vioxx plaintiffs, U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon ruled the jury’s August 17, 2006, verdict in the Barnett v. Merck trial had to be overturned, and a new trial held. The judge said the liability portion of the verdict was reasonable, but that the damage award of $50 million was [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Merck Loses Big In Latest Vioxx Trial

Written On August 17, 2006 By Bob Kraft

The jury in the current federal Vioxx trial has returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff in the amount of $50,000,000. That is for actual damages. The jury will now deliberate on the punitive damages portion of the verdict.
The jury held that Merck was negligent in warning Jerry Barnett and his doctors about the [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Jury Still Out In Second Federal Vioxx Trial

Written On August 17, 2006 By Bob Kraft

As reported in the Houston Chronicle, the jury in the second federal Vioxx trial is in their second day of deliberations.
The plaintiff is a 62-year-old male, Gerald Barnett, who underwent a quintuple bypass after a heart attack at the age of 58. He took Vioxx for 31 months before his heart attack in July 2002. [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Merck’s Legal Stance May Pay Off In Vioxx Claims

Written On August 7, 2006 By Bob Kraft

An article at StarNewsOnline summarizes what most plaintiff lawyers have already realized — that Merck’s Vioxx strategy is working, so far. Exerts from the article:
Merck is gaining ground in the Vioxx litigation at least for the moment. On Wednesday, a California jury ruled that Merck’s painkiller Vioxx did not cause the heart attack that Stewart [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Merck Wins Another Vioxx Trial

Written On August 3, 2006 By Bob Kraft

Merck has won another trial, this one in California. Here’s a short article from UPI:
LOS ANGELES, CA, United States (UPI) — Merck & Co. Inc. notched a win in the ongoing Vioxx litigation by convincing a Los Angeles jury a plaintiff`s heart attack was not the company`s fault.
It is the second time in the past [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

A Brief Look At The History Of Vioxx Litigation

Written On July 13, 2006 By Bob Kraft

There is a good, short article in the Houston Chronicle today setting out a brief history of the arthritis drug Vioxx litigation. Excerpts from the article:
May 1999: Food and Drug Administration approves Merck & Co.’s Vioxx, a Cox-2 inhibitor, for treatment of arthritis and acute pain in adults.
June 2000: Merck gives FDA results of VIGOR [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx

Merck Wins Vioxx Trial In New Jersey

Written On July 13, 2006 By Bob Kraft

July 13 (Bloomberg) — Merck & Co. won a trial over a grandmother’s claim that its painkiller Vioxx caused her heart attack, reducing pressure on the company to settle more than 12,000 of lawsuits about the drug.
A jury in state court in Atlantic City, New Jersey, rejected claims by Elaine Doherty, 68, who survived [...]

Posted in Prescription Drug Claims, Vioxx