Rofecoxib (
IPA: is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (
NSAID) that was used in the treatment of
osteoarthritis, acute
pain conditions, and
dysmenorrhoea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vioxx
A drug that was being used for pain relief and was being studied for its ability to prevent cancer and to block the growth of new blood vessels to solid tumors. It belongs to the family of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Vioxx is the only one of the drugs approved for people with certain allergies and did better at preventing the stomach and intestinal problems often caused by over-the-counter painkillers
Gawd what a great drug ! Approved by the FDA as safe and good to go, tens of millions took it and similar drugs.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO wait a minute ......... maybe this isn't a good drug after all ?
http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/11/news/companies/vioxx/index.htm?cnn=yes
Merck vows to appeal $9M in punitive damages[/align]Jury says the No. 2 drugmaker misrepresented the risks of Vioxx to regulators, orders company to pay more.[/align]By Aaron Smith, CNNMoney.com staff writer[/align]April 11, 2006: 11:25 AM EDT[/align]
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - A New Jersey jury found Merck liable Tuesday of misrepresenting Vioxx to federal regulators and ordered the drugmaker to pay $9 million in punitive damages to a man who suffered a heart attack after taking the painkiller.
The plaintiff, former Vioxx patient and heart attack survivor John McDarby of Park Ridge, N.J., was awarded $3 million in compensatory damages last week by the same jury in Atlantic City, N.J., and his wife was awarded $1.5 million. The $9 million is on top of the compensatory damages.
Merck said it would appeal the punitive and compensatory damages.
"Merck's actions were proper and did not, in any way, call for this award as defined by New Jersey law," said Merck's outside counsel Chuck Harrell, in a press release. "The evidence was clear that we provided the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with the information about Vioxx that we were required to provide. And, under New Jersey law, that means punitive damages should not have been awarded."
Mark Lanier, the lawyer representing McDarby in the punitive phase of the trial, said the verdict sends a "very loud message" not just to Merck but the entire drug industry.
"These pharmaceutical companies must tell the truth," Lanier said by telephone. "They must tell the good and the bad news, or American citizens will hold them liable."
Merck (down $0.16 to $34.26,
Research),
the nation's second-largest drug maker, faces nearly 10,000 lawsuits from people who blame Vioxx for their heart attacks. So far Merck has won two cases and lost one, and there a split verdict in the case involving McDarby and another N.J. plaintiff, Thomas Cona.
Merck pulled Vioxx off the market on Sept. 30, 2004, after a study revealed increased risks of heart attacks and strokes among people taking the drug for at least 18 months.
Merck, based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., has denied allegations that it deliberately misled federal regulators, doctors or patients about the risks of the drug and says that Vioxx never killed anybody.
Merck stock edged lower after the punitive damages were announced. The stock fell sharply after last week's verdict.
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a drug that prevents cancer, and is awesome for pain relief
