August, 2005 – A Texas jury awarded $253.4 million to the widow of a man who had died in 2001 after taking VIOXX. ivermectina paper It was reduced to $26 million by the Texas punitive damage caps. This was the first VIOXX verdict. ivermectin liquid price

November, 2005 – A New Jersey jury cleared Merck of a heart attack sustained by someone who had taken VIOXX for about two months only.

February, 2006 – a New Orleans jury cleared Merck in the death of someone who took VIOXX for about one month.

April, 2006 – Two cases in New Jersey concluded. One jury awarded $13.9 million to a 77-year-old man who had a heart attack after four years of taking VIOXX. The same jury cleared Merck in the case of a 60-year-old who took VIOXX for nearly two years.

June, 2006 – The New England Journal of Medicine published a correction that had been issued by Merck, that changed the APPROVe study results. It stated that heart problem risks increased earlier than the 18 months previously stated.

July, 2006 – A New Jersey jury cleared Merck in the heart attack of a diabetic who had taken VIOXX for over two years.

August, 2006 – A California jury cleared Merck in the heart attack of a 71-year-old man

August, 2006 – A New Jersey judge overturned the November, 2005 verdict for Merck, on the basis that new information had come to light since then which warranted a new trial.

August, 2006 – A Louisiana jury ordered Merck to pay $51 million to a man who took VIOXX for two years, then had a heart attack and continued on VIOXX for about two more years. Later that month, a Federal judge ordered a new trial because that amount was “grossly excessive”.

March, 2007 – The jury in the new trial awarded $20 million in damages to this man in his new trial.

November, 2007 – In a class action suit on behalf of plaintiffs who suffered heart attacks or strokes after taking VIOXX, a settlement was reached in which Merck agreed to pay $4.85 billion, to be divided among the several thousand plaintiffs and their attorneys. Each claimant will receive an amount according to his or her medical records. ivermectin horse wormer amazon This is the largest pharmaceutical settlement ever.

  • Thousands of personal injury lawsuits were filed and many consolidated
  • Discovery began in 2001 on consolidated cases
  • Over 50 million pages of documents were produced and read
  • Over 2005 depositions taken
  • Thousands of motions filed
  • Hundreds of cardiac experts were consulted, as well as medical experts in pharmacology and neurology
  • Negotiating teams from each side met over 50 times and conducted several hundred conference calls

     

Part 3 of this VIOXX Saga will briefly discuss the medical risks and issues. Please contact us if you have taken VIOXX and subsequently suffered a heart attack, stroke, or other life-threatening event. We will be glad to give you a free consultation.