Transcript - Vioxx - Channel 5 News - October 5, 2004

Vioxx Litigation
Channel 5 News
October 5, 2004
6:00 P.M.

59:55-101:15

Reporter: Today, a downtown law firm filed what is at least a second class action lawsuit over Vioxx in Chicago. Suing New Jersey based Merck, they said in just days they have had hundreds of phone calls from worried Vioxx users.

Ken Moll: I have never, in the history of our firm, seen the amount of serious adverse reactions and deaths associated with Vioxx, in the inquiries that were submitted to our firm in such an early stage of litigation.

Reporter: The potential size of the suit is enormous. 24 million people worldwide were on Vioxx. That is four times as many as the dangerous diet combination Fen-phen. (T.V. commercial for Vioxx is played). Lawyers claim Merck kept running T.V. ads for Vioxx when the company knew the drug was dangerous.

Ken Moll: I would estimate, at the end of the day, the amount that Merck would pay out would be in the billions of dollars.

Vioxx user: Am I going to last? Am I going to be okay? I hope I am.