Massachusetts
Vioxx Attorney
Vioxx Has Caused Heart Attacks,
Strokes And Death In Thousands: Claims For Wrongful
Death & Injuries Should Be Pursued.
Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co.
has killed and seriously injured tens of thousands
of patients by vigorously marketing Vioxx to consumers.
Since at least 2001, Merck knew or should have known
that
Vioxx was dangerously defective and put patients at
increased at risk of heart attacks, strokes and blood
clots. Merck downplayed, hid and lied about the dangers
of the drug for years in order to bolster its profits.
Because millions of Americans have taken the drug,
which more than doubles the risk of heart attack and
stroke, the Food and Drug Administration estimates
that more than 27,000 patients have suffered heart
attacks or have died as a result of their use of Vioxx.
On September 30, 2004, Merck withdrew
Vioxx to limit its liability for manufacturing and
marketing this defective drug. The building wave of
lawsuits that had been filed and that will be filed
due to developing scientific evidence forced Merck
to withdraw the drug.
If
you have suffered heart attack, stroke or other injury
after using Vioxx, or if a member of your family has
died after using Vioxx, please contact us immediately
to speak with Mr. Larrabee and to investigate your
right to file suit against Merck & Co. Click
Here to contact Attorney Larrabee.
Merck's actions, in vigorously marketing
the drug when it knew that consumers were potentially
being exposed to enormously increased risk, borders
on the criminal. In August of 2001, the Journal of
the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggested
that Vioxx could increase the risk of cardiovascular
events -- including heart attacks, strokes and chest
pain. In September of 2001, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration issued a warning
letter to Merck, warning the company to stop making
false claims regarding the safety of Vioxx. The letter
highlighted the results of the "VIGOR" study,
which showed a doubling of adverse "cardiovascular
events" in patients who used Vioxx. Notwithstanding
this study and the FDA's warning letter, Merck dismissed
as irrelevant a 2002 study by University of Pennsylvania
researchers that suggested that the drug could cause
blood clots in mice. This study, published in the
scholarly journal Science, suggested that the use
of Vioxx could create a chemical imbalance that would
increase the risk of excessive blood clotting. Blood
clotting in turn can increase the risk of heart attack,
stroke and pulmonary embolism, all life threatening
conditions. Vioxx may also cause severe intestinal
damage, including ulcerations and bleeding, and toxic
epidermal necrolysis (TEN), a fatal skin disease.
Even when there was substantial evidence
that it was a deadly and dangerous drug, Merck continued
to vigorously market Vioxx. Worse yet, Merck failed
to provide adequate warnings to consumers and doctors
of the likely risks the drug presented. Vioxx represented
a huge stream of revenue for Merck - more than 2.5
billion dollars a year. Evidently, the company viewed
its profits as being more important than the safety
of consumers.
Call us at, 1-617-566-3670, and discuss
your case with Attorney Larrabee, or,
click here to submit an online form and
we will contact you.
