Vioxx Attorney for your vioxx lawsuit.

On September 30, 2004, Merck announced a worldwide withdrawal of its anti-inflammatory drug, Vioxx, following information that people taking Vioxx are twice as likely to have heart attacks and strokes than people who take other inflammatory drugs, such as Naproxen.

Vioxx is one of a class of anti-inflammatory drugs strenuously marketed as being more effective, with fewer side effects than other, older drugs, including such over-the-counter medications as ibuprofen.

Vioxx and other drugs in the class have not proven to be the breakthrough cure-all for pain as they were advertised. In fact many physicians prefer ibuprofen for pain relief to Vioxx and Celebrex combined, and for patients, the cost of the over-the-counter medication is 10 to 15 times less than that of the prescription drugs.

Merck & Co., the maker of Vioxx launched the drug in the U.S. in 1999, and has had nearly $2.5 billion in sales of the drug in 2003.

Side Effects:

Recently a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association linked Vioxx to blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes.

Other serious side effects are:

• Serious stomach problems, such as stomach and intestinal bleeding, can occur with or without warning symptoms. These problems, if severe, could lead to hospitalization or death. Although this happens rarely, you should watch for signs that you may have this serious side effect and tell your doctor right away.
  
• Serious allergic reactions including swelling of face, lips, tongue, and/or throat which may cause difficulty breathing or swallowing occur rarely but may require treatment right away.
  
• Serious kidney problems occur rarely, including acute kidney failure and worsening of chronic kidney failure.
  
• Severe liver problems occur rarely in patients taking NSAIDs. Tell your doctor if you develop symptoms of liver problems. These include nausea, tiredness, itching, tenderness in the right upper abdomen, and flu-like symptoms.

More common, non life threatening side effects include:

• Upper and/or lower respiratory infection and/or inflammation
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Diarrhea
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Heartburn, stomach pain and upset
• Swelling of the legs and /or feet
• High blood pressure
• Back pain
• Tiredness
• Urinary tract infection.