Vioxx

here is an essay I found on http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/vioxx

Information
FDA Drug Information Facts
VIOXX (Rofecoxib) FDA INFORMATION

The FDA issued several warnings concerning Vioxx related side effects before the drug was removed from the market.. The links below will redirect you to these warnings on the FDA website.

■2001 Merck Vioxx VIGOR Study
■2001 Vioxx Advertising Warning Letter
■2002 FDA Vioxx Talk Paper
■2002 Merck Vioxx Dear Doctor Letter
■2002 Vioxx Safety Label Update
■2004 FDA Vioxx Recall Advisory
■2004 FDA Vioxx COX II Q&A
■2004 FDA Statement on Vioxx
■2004 FDA Vioxx David Graham Statement
■2004 Vioxx- Drug Safety Controversy
■2005 FDA Vioxx Timeline
■2005 FDA-Vioxx Cardiovascular Safety
Quick Facts
Vioxx Reference Guide
Generic Name
Rofecoxib
Date Approved
May 20, 1999
Manufacturer
Merck & Co.
Status
Withdrawn 9/30/04
Approved Uses
Arthritis
Muscle pain
Off Label Uses
Bone pain
Muscle pain
General pain
Serious Side Effects
Heart attacks
Blood clots
Stroke
Related Topics
Bextra
Celebrex
Mobic
Blood Clots
Heart Attacks
Stroke
Defective Drugs
Diseases


Home » Topics » Defective Drugs » Vioxx


Injured by Vioxx?
Parker Waichman Alonso LLP Has Been Representing Vioxx Heart Attack & Stroke Victims Nationwide Since 2001. Merck & Co. removed its blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx (Generic: Rofecoxib) from the market worldwide because new data from a clinical trial found an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Merck decided to remove the drug from the market on September 30, 2004, after data from the trial showed an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clots and other cardiovascular complications. Parker & Waichman has been the choice for Vioxx victims in need of a pharmaceutical liability lawyer since 2001.

Vioxx Recall Timeline
Lancet Says Vioxx Should Have Been Recalled in 2000
Documents May Show Merck Knew About Vioxx Side Effects

The data comes from a three-year study aimed at showing that Vioxx at a 25 milligram dose prevents recurrence of polyps in the colon and rectum. The trial was stopped after Merck discovered the higher heart risk compared to patients taking dummy pills.

Before the withdrawal of Vioxx, the FDA announced that patients taking Vioxx have a 50 percent greater chance of heart attacks and sudden cardiac death. he study, presented at an epidemiologists conference, also found patients taking the highest recommended daily dosage of Vioxx had three times the risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death as those not taking standard painkillers.

The popular and heavily advertised arthritis drugs Vioxx and Celebrex have been linked by researchers to an increase in the risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes.The study from the Cleveland Clinic appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association and was based on an analysis of previous clinical trials. Celebrex and Vioxx are projected to produce U.S. sales greater than $6 billion this year.

In a study of more than 8,000 patients that compared the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib Vioxx) with the traditional NSAID naproxen, the risk of cardiovascular problems, including heart attack,chest pain related to heart disease, stroke, sudden death and blood clots, was more than two times higher in the rofecoxib group than in the naproxen group.

Vioxx, like Celebrex, is classified as a COX-2 inhibitor, or coxib. COX-2 inhibitors, like older drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen, are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. Older NSAIDs reduce inflammation by blocking an enzyme called COX-2, but they also block another enzyme called COX-1. This enzyme helps protect the lining of the stomach, so blocking COX-2 can cause stomach irritation. COX-2 inhibitors only block COX-2, leaving the stomach-protecting COX-1 alone.

In 2000, Merck spent $160.8 million on direct to consumer Vioxx marketing. Many people are familiar with Vioxx television advertisements featuring the famous figure skater Dorothy Hamill. Sid Wolfe, a physician and director of the Health Research Group of the advocacy group Public Citizen in Washington, D.C. said "Dorothy Hamill doesn't tell people they have a four times higher risk of a heart attack on Vioxx."

If you or a loved one took Vioxx and suffered side effects, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified drug side effects attorney.
VioxxRSS FeedMerck Loses Australian Vioxx LawsuitMar 5, 2010 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLPWe just wrote that Merck & Co. made a final $4.1 billion payment to its Vioxx settlement fund. According to a recent Associated Press (AP) report, final payouts to former Vioxx users or their survivors should be made by the end of June. Now, Bloomberg News is reporting that Merck & Co.’s Australian unit neglected to warn a physician about cardiac risks associated with the controversial painkiller, citing the findings of a Melbourne court. The drug giant could be...
Merck Loses Australian Vioxx Lawsuit »
Merck & Co. Makes Final Payment to Vioxx Settlement FundMar 2, 2010 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLPMerck & Co. has almost wrapped up its Vioxx settlement, having recently made its final $4.1 billion payment to the settlement fund. According to the Associated Press, all Vioxx heart attack claims have already been paid or denied. Nearly 18,000 Vioxx stroke claims are in process, and about 7,400 of those resulted in initial payments. The fund should be finished paying all claims by the end of June. The Associated Press is also reporting about 355 plaintiff groups did not...
Merck & Co. Makes Final Payment to Vioxx Settlement Fund »
Doctor Accused of Falsifying Drug Studies Pleads GuiltyFeb 23, 2010 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLPDr. Scott S. Reuben, former chief of acute pain at the Bay State Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud. As we’ve reported previously, Reuben was charged in federal court last month with falsifying studies involving the post-surgical benefits of drugs like Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex, Effexor and Lyrica. According to the Associated Press, federal prosecutors in Massachusetts had alleged that Reuben sought and received research grants from...
Doctor Accused of Falsifying Drug Studies Pleads Guilty »
Merck Loses Australian Vioxx LawsuitJan 1, 2010 We just wrote that Merck & Co. made a final $4.1 billion payment to its Vioxx settlement fund. According to a recent Associated Press (AP) report, final payouts to former Vioxx users or their survivors should be made by the end of June. Now, Bloomberg News is reporting that Merck & Co.’s Australian unit neglected to warn a physician about cardiac risks associated with the controversial painkiller, citing the findings of a Melbourne court. The drug giant could be...
Merck Loses Australian Vioxx Lawsuit »
Vioxx Scandal Didn't Lead To Changes At FDADec 9, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLPThe Vioxx scandal, and the Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) role in it, has not brought about much change at the agency, according to a new government report.Vioxx was approved for use in 1999, and quickly became a bestseller for Merck, with annual sales of $2.5 billion; however, the painkiller was pulled off the market in 2004 after an analysis of patients using Vioxx linked the defective drug to more than 27,000 heart attacks or sudden cardiac deaths in the U.S. from 1999 through 2003....
Vioxx Scandal Didn't Lead To Changes At FDA »