home > personal injury > Learn about vioxx and celebrex
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Learn about vioxx and celebrex In the late 1990s, Vioxx and Celebrex were highly publicized for their ability to protect the stomach while helping with inflammation and pain. At that time, traditional over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen could help with inflammation but were also associated with stomach pain and bleeding ulcers. Products like Vioxx and Celebrex were considered a breakthrough for their painkilling benefits without the common risk of a serious stomach ulcer. Vioxx Vioxx was FDA approved as a pain relief medication for arthritis and was distributed to more than 30,000 pharmacies just eleven days after it was officially approved for release. Since then Merck, the manufacturer of Vioxx, has been the subject of thousands of lawsuits resulting from the life-threatening side effects that have occurred in connection with the drug's use. Merck has been warned by the FDA to change their advertising regarding the drug's safety record' which the FDA found to be unsubstantiated and lacked efficacy. Vioxx and its closest competitor, Celebrex, have used marketing strategies to differentiate themselves from one another, emphasizing small differences until the advantages became extensive and the flaws appeared minimal. The FDA attributed the competition between Vioxx and Celebrex to be insufficient warning to doctors and patients of the serious risks and adverse effects of Vioxx. Merck finally removed their drug from the market on Sept. 30, 2004, after one of its clinical trials implied that it could increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Merck is now facing massive potential liability. Past estimates have projected Merck's liability for this product to be as high as $20 billion. It is also estimated that there might be as many as 50,000 potential plaintiffs who will be filing lawsuits against the drug giant. As of January 2007, there have been over 20,000 legal claims brought against Merck for sale of their Vioxx product. In January 2007, an appeals court in New Jersey once again allowed a class-action lawsuit against Merck, seeking to force the drug maker to pay for medical monitoring for individuals who took Vioxx.
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