Vioxx Litigation
Channel 7 News
October 5, 2004
4:30 P.M.
Leah Hope: This morning attorney Kenneth Moll filed a federal complaint that names Merck. It seeks damages and money to evaluate patients who may be at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease. Yesterday, another complaint was filed in Cook County by a Chicago woman. Both of these suits could represent all patients affected, if they are given class action status. Vioxx is an anti-inflammatory drug that was introduced in 1999. Sold in more than 80 countries, its sales, just last year, were 2.5 billion dollars. It was pulled last week after Merck said a study found increased risk of heart attack and stroke with the drug. But attorneys who filed the recent lawsuits said Merck knew about the risk before and allowed the sales to continue.
Ken Moll: What Merck did was keeping it on the market and used the public, its users of this drug, as guinea pigs for the biggest trial ever conducted 24 million consumers.
Leah Hope: Attorneys say a study conducted in 2000 showed an increased risk and the drug should have been pulled then. There have been other suits filed and they will likely be consolidated into one class action suit. We should also mention that this is the beginning of the legal process; it will be years before there is any ruling if these cases make it to court.