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Vioxx Legal Help

VIOXX Recall Legal Help
If you or a loved one has taken the prescription drug VIOXX, you may be at risk for serious, and perhaps fatal, health problems.

You have rights, and the attorneys at Brecher Fishman Pasternack Heller Walsh & Tilker, P.C. are here to defend those rights. We represent clients that took the prescription drug VIOXX.

Contact Us
If you or a loved one has taken VIOXX, we will evaluate your case at no cost to you for the first visit.

If you or a loved one has been injured by VIOXX, our legal team will aggressively fight for your rights.

If you feel you have a potential case involving VIOXX and would like us to review it, please call for a free consultation at 1-800-804-0805 (ext.4), or click here to complete our complimentary case evaluation form.

Information about VIOXX
VIOXX is a brand name used by Merck & Co., Inc. ("Merck") to market and distribute rofecoxib tablets, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory prescription arthritis drug. Merck obtained FDA approval for VIOXX sometime around April of 1999 via a New Drug Application on a fast track, 6-month approval process. Merck began distribution and sale of VIOXX throughout the United States in or around May of 1999.

On September 30, 2004, Merck removed VIOXX from the market in all countries because it was associated with heart attacks, strokes, cardiovascular injuries and other side effects. Merck removed VIOXX after an extended study showing that patients using VIOXX doubled their risk of heart attack, stroke and/or other cardiovascular injury. According to Merck, at present there are approximately 2 million people worldwide taking VIOXX. At least 84 million people have been prescribed VIOXX since it became available in 1999.

The removal of VIOXX from the market did not come as a surprise to many people. Initial signs of problems with VIOXX were first noticed many years ago. Merck removed VIOXX before the FDA could remove it for them.

VIOXX's Long History of Heart Attacks, Strokes and Blood Clots
Shortly after VIOXX was approved and placed on the market a study sponsored by Merck and published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2000 clearly showed an increase in heart attacks. However, many healthcare professionals ignored these studies and regularly prescribed VIOXX. In 2001 Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic published a study in the Journal of American Medical Association JAMA re-analyzing existing data. This study again showed the risk of heart attacks and other serious side effects. Instead of acknowledging VIOXX's side effects Merck said it would conduct a comprehensive study testing VIOXX's heart safety, but the study never materialized.

Merck should have recalled VIOXX sooner…
Don't be like Merck and call us now!

Research Sources:
FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration
"FDA Issues Public Health Advisory on Vioxx as its Manufacturer Voluntarily Withdraws the Product"
September 30, 2004
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Merck
"Merck Announces Voluntary Worldwide Withdrawal of VIOXX®"
September 30, 2004
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FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration
"Vioxx (rofecoxib) Questions and Answers"
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Medical News Today
"Recall of Merck Arthritis Drug Vioxx Recall Leads to New Questions on FDA Effectiveness"
October 4, 2004
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CNN
"Arthritis drug Vioxx being pulled"
September 30, 2004
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PR Newswire
"Orthopedic Surgeon Blasts Vioxx(R) and COX-2 Inhibitors"
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Newsday
"Vioxx was long under research microscope"
October 12, 2004
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Contact our Vioxx Help Department