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Vioxx Withdrawl
and Drug Litigation
by: Richard Martin
On Sept. 30, 2004 Merck announced a worldwide withdrawal
of Vioxx® (rofecoxib). Vioxx had previously been
prescribed in the treatment of arthritis and pain.
Worldwide sales of Vioxx in 2003 were an estimated
$2.5Billion and the drug was marketed in more than 80
countries around the world. This is one of several recent
pharmaceutical products to have been put in the spotlight
by both the national media and plaintiff lawyers.
Since sometime in the mid to late 90s a substantial
number of pharmaceutical medications and medical devices
have been removed from the market due to possible adverse
health implications. The FDA acts as a regulatory body in
approving health related products before they are
marketed to consumers. The FDA moved to ban Ephedra in
the US in 2004. However, the recent headlines about
voluntary drug withdrawals have produced questions as to
the FDA's recent performance.
Many people believe that the FDA did not test the drugs
rigorously enough to determine all the possible health
problems that they might cause. People believe that the
rise in litigation over these medications was due to the
fact that the FDA now allows pharmaceutical companies to
“fast track” their products and get them
through the process in a year. In fact, Vioxx was only
released in 1999.
Some of the latest drugs where concerns have also arose
are Bextra, Celebrex and Zyprexa. Litigation over these
drugs may commence in the near future. US plaintiff
lawyers have begun to put some serious time and research
into possible claims that may arise from pharmaceutical
drugs. Plaintiff lawyers also handle Mesothelioma, Car
Accident, and a wide variety of different personal injury
cases.
If you think that you may have been injured by a
prescription drug that has recently made headlines, you
may consider consulting with a lawyer. Many plaintiff
attorneys handle cases on a contingency basis.
More law information can be found at
http://www.legalclips.com.
About The Author
Richard Martin contributes articles to
http://www.legalclips.com.
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