VIOXX LAWSUIT - CLASS ACTION

On 9 November 2007 a class action agreement was reached for VIOXX victims resident in the United States. VIOXX victims from Australia are not entitled to make a claim for compensation under this scheme as a result of which the Vioxx lawsuit, which is an Australian based class action, currently running in the Federal Court of Australia will continue to final resolution.

An individual qualifies as a group member of this class action if they were prescribed and took VIOXX in Australia after 30 July 1999 and were diagnosed with heart attack, stroke, angina, ischemic attack or peripheral vascular disease within 30 weeks of completing the course.

Those who qualify are automatically group members unless they opted out on or before 27 October 2006 and will be bound by any subsequent judgment and will not be able to commence a separate Vioxx lawsuit in Australia.

Would you like to know your rights with regard to starting a vioxx lawsuit? We can assist you by referring you to a lawyer willing to provide you with obligation-free legal advice as to whether you are likely to succeed in a claim for compensation. If you have suffered any injuries as a result of taking this drug, then you may be entitled to thousand of dollars in damages.

The U.S FDA approval was obtained in 1999 for use in the reduction of pain and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis, as well as for acute pain in adults and for the treatment of menstrual pain. It was the second of a new kind of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) (Cox-2 selective) approved by the FDA. Subsequently, the FDA approved this drug to treat the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in adults and children. At the time other Cox-2 selective NSAIDs were approved and it was hoped that they would have a lower risk of gastrointestinal ulcers and bleeding than other NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen and naproxen).

After studies suggested serious side-effects this drug was recalled on September 30, 2004. Consumer activists have long argued that the dangers associated with its use were clear from earlier studies and that company officials downplayed the heart risks. Merck was recently told to pay out $US253m in a US vioxx lawsuit after a jury in Texas found the drug had contributed to a man's death and that the firm had been negligent. Mark Lanier, the lawyer who won the Texas case, said he expected to see at least 50,000 personal injury claims against Merck in the US and thousands more overseas. This drug was sold in more than 80 countries, including Canada, Europe, Brazil, Australia and Israel.

We are a specialist personal injury compensation law service. If you would like free advice with no obligation just complete the contact form and a specialist lawyer will review your claim and phone you immediately.