Merck prepares for Vioxx lawsuits

October 4, 2004

After Merck announced it was recalling its arthritis drug Vioxx, attorneys began receiving phone calls. Merck is one of the largest drug makers and Vioxx generated 11 percent of the company's total sales, responsible for $2.5 billion in worldwide sales a year. Even before the Vioxx recall was announced, several hundreds of Vioxx lawsuits had been filed against Merck. In recent years Merck experienced a decline in Vioxx sales because of safety concerns.

The company estimates about 20 million people have taken Vioxx since its 1999 United States introduction. Many attorneys remember the massive diet drug fen phen recall that led to more than 100,000 lawsuits. Most predict the Vioxx recall will not be nearly as large as the fen phen litigation, which has cost Wyeth $16.6 billion so far. Preliminary estimates by analyst Tim Anderson from the Prudential Equity Group reported 16,632 people might ultimately file a legitimate Vioxx lawsuit.

So far, attorneys receiving Vioxx cases mostly involve families of people who have died from heart attacks or strokes while taking Vioxx. Attorneys believe Vioxx users and family members will begin to realize a heart attack or stroke that was suffered while the arthritis drug was being used, resulting in Vioxx lawsuits. Though not expected to come even close to fen phen, many Vioxx lawsuits are expected.

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