Israelis File Class Action Against Vioxx - YNetNews.Com - October 23, 2005

YNetNews.Com
October 23, 2005

Chicago law firm claims in lawsuit: Vioxx manufacturer guilty of not conducting adequate research on drug's risks, not warning against potential lethal side effects .

The Chicago-based Kenneth B. Moll & Associates Ltd. law firm has filed a class action on behalf of all Israeli citizens who have allegedly died or were seriously hurt from using the pain-killing drug Vioxx.

The lawsuit accuses the drug manufacturer, Merck & Co., Inc., of not conducing adequate research regarding Vioxx's known risks and of not warning Israeli consumers against potential lethal side effects.

Attorney Kenneth B. Moll said that Vioxx should never have been manufactured in the first place.

About a year ago Merck decided, on its own initiative, to yank the drug from pharmacy shelves all over the world, following a comprehensive research published by the FDA, which discovered that Vioxx increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Attorney Moll said that Merck's decision to remove the drug from the market came years after the company first found out about the drug's health risks. He charged that many people in Israel and worldwide have suffered from severe and lethal damage which could have been avoided had Merck acted responsibly.

On August 2005, a U.S. court decided to grant USD 253.5 million in compensation to the widower of a former Vioxx user. Attorney Moll claims that the court's ruling clearly shows that Merck is guilty for its decision to prefer its profits over the safety of its consumers.

Attorney Moll added that this was the first class action filed by all Israeli consumers demanding compensation for severe damage and death incidents caused by a dangerous drug.