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Merck Lawsuits Set Precedence for Paxil

While prescription drug lawsuits are in no way a new phenomenon, recent studies of popular medications including Vioxx and Paxil have ushered in an alarmingly high number of health risks to consumers.

Accompanying these risks are multi-million dollar pharmaceutical lawsuits against the makers of these drugs. Some of the most controversial of these litigation cases are Merck lawsuits.

The History of Merck Lawsuits

On the market for a mere five years, Merck�s multi-billion-dollar arthritis medicine Vioxx was voluntarily pulled from shelves in the US and 80 other countries by its maker on October 30, 2004.

The move by the manufacturer, as well as the thousands of Merck lawsuits that subsequently ensued, were all prompted after clinical studies conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed a higher rate of heart attacks and strokes in patients who were taking the drug than in those who were taking Celebrex or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID).

Upon learning this information, Merck denied any previous knowledge of these risks although several previous studies had revealed similar findings, including one published by The New England Journal of Medicine in November of 2000.

Vioxx's Demise Doesn't End Merck Lawsuits

Although Vioxx is no longer available on the drug market, there are still thousands of Merck lawsuits pending. More than 50,000 people have sued in Merck lawsuits claiming they or their family members have suffered side effects and health problems from using Vioxx. According to statistics from the FDA, it is estimated that more than 60,000 Americans have been killed by the drug.

Merck Lawsuits Being Eyed Closely

After losing a number of preliminary Merck lawsuits, the makers of Vioxx have now enacted even more aggressive litigation tactics, which will be closely monitored and likely adopted by other drug makers who find themselves in similar situations, including the makers of Paxil.

Merck lawsuits may have set a difficult precedence in the way that pharmaceutical lawsuits are handled by drug makers. With the assistance of an experienced attorney however, getting the compensation you deserve can still be accomplished.

Merck Lawsuits Are Just the Beginning

With worldwide sales in excess of $2.5 billion dollars, Vioxx�s removal and the onslaught of Merck lawsuits that resulted caught many consumers off guard. However in light of recent pharmaceutical lawsuits, these moves are now seen as only the beginning in high stakes litigation against negligent drug makers by consumers.

Featured Article:

Former Paxil Patients Are Taking Legal Action Against GlaxoSmithKline Like Those Who Filed Merck Lawsuits

[Posted on Dec 05]

People who file pharmaceutical lawsuits against the makers of Paxil, GlaxoSmithKline, aren’t the first to want to hold a drug company accountable for unexpected side effects. A significant number of people who used the arthritis medication Vioxx have filed a prescription drug lawsuit against Merck, the drug company that made Vioxx when it was available. Those who pursued and won Merck lawsuits were able to prove that the company was responsible for the damage Vioxx caused to users, specifically by putting them at a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks.

The negligence of GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and other drug companies is very troubling because it leads to a lack of trust in medications they produce. People who need medical treatment want to believe that when they’re prescribed a drug and told of the potential side effects that they’re being told everything they need to know. These former Paxil and Vioxx patients learned that wasn’t the case. Women who used Paxil while pregnant were informed that doing so posed significant risks to their unborn children when the FDA reclassified the drug in 2005. Former Paxil patients who wanted to take legal action against GlaxoSmithKline were encouraged by the success of Merck lawsuits, which saw the pharmaceutical company forced to pay these victims financial compensation.

Children born with Paxil birth defects, which can include congenital heart conditions such hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Transposition of the Great Arteries, pulmonary stenosis and Coarctation of the Aorta, will need immediate medical attention as well as potential long term care in order to correct their health problems. The parents and families of these children often struggle to pay for that kind of treatment and that only worsens the already horrible situation they’re dealing with. But it’s not fair that they deal with this kind of financial burden which is why pharmaceutical lawsuits are necessary.

Putting pressure on these companies with Paxil and Merck lawsuits brings attention to the problem and forces them to be more careful when releasing their products so that these types of situations don’t continue to happen. The Law Offices of Chandler, Mathis, & Zivley, PC, want to help these victims which is why they provide a free legal consultation to former Paxil patients considering litigation. The firm provides a credible legal consultation that can help you determine if you have a strong enough case to move forward with a Paxil lawsuit and how to begin that process if you do.