Vioxx claimants 'double in a week'
The number of Irish patients seeking compensation from the US drugs company Merck over its controversial painkiller Vioxx has doubled in a week, it emerged tonight.
Last week, a Texas jury awarded $250m (€203m) to a woman whose husband died after taking the drug.
Dublin-based solicitor Raymond Bradley said the number of claimants he was dealing with had doubled from 100 to 200 in the last week.
“It’s early in the game but the result in Texas last week is encouraging,” he said.
“There’s no doubt that there are serious concerns in relation to what was discovered in the course of the hearing of that action.”
He told the Newstalk 106 radio station that Merck had information suggesting they knew about the risks of their product and yet left it on the market for a longer period than it should have.
The US company initially said it would fight all claims but has now indicated it may agree a settlement in a limited number of cases.
Merck withdrew the popular arthritis treatment from the market when its own study showed Vioxx doubled the risk of heart attack or stroke when taken for at least 18 months.
The company is facing around 5,000 Vioxx-related lawsuits.
