Delaware Vioxx Attorneys

Vioxx has been linked to having a heart attack, stroke or causing severe blood clots throughout the body. Vioxx was used to treat arthritis pain, pain associated with menstrual cramps and acute pain in adults. Sadly, thirty-thousand people have died as a result of the use of prescription Vioxx. It is very important that if you are a resident of the state of Delaware and have suffered due to the use of Vioxx to contact an attorney immediately. An attorney will be able to assist you through this trying time.

Vioxx was approved for public consumption, by the Food and Drug Administration, in the year 1999. Before Vioxx was approved, the University of Pennsylvania had alerted the FDA to the potential relationship between the chronic use of Vioxx and the increased chance of suffering from a heart attack. Vioxx passed approval and was stocked upon pharmacy shelves. Over ninety-one million prescriptions for the use of Vioxx were written in the United States alone. The New England Journal of Medicine reported in a medical study that Vioxx had caused a heart attack or stroke in chronic users. This study was reported in 2000. Finally, due to increasing evidence, Merck and Company, the pharmaceutical giant responsible for the creation and marketing of Vioxx, conducted their own investigation. Their study proved that Vioxx causes several users to have a heart attack or stroke within only eighteen months of use . This was truly alarmingly as at the time eighty-four million people were using Vioxx worldwide. Merck and Company pulled Vioxx from the shelves in a worldwide recall, but it was too late.

Some of the negative side effects associated with the use of Vioxx include the onset of acute kidney failure or the worsening of chronic kidney failure. Several Vioxx users reported liver problems. Symptoms of these liver problems included nausea, tiredness, pain in the upper right abdomen, flu-like symptoms and itching. Swelling of the face, lips, tongue and throat occurred in Vioxx users who were suffering from an allergic reaction to the prescription. These particular types of swelling can lead to difficulty breathing or trouble swallowing. Vioxx users around the world found themselves suffering from intestinal and stomach bleeding. This bleeding almost always occurred without any warning signs. Other side effects of Vioxx use that were more common happened to be swelling in the feet and legs, high blood pressure, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn, back pain, urinary track infections and tiredness. People who took Vioxx suffered from one or more of these dangerous side effects. If left untreated these side effects can lead to hospitalization or even result in death.

Vioxx was considered to be a miracle drug. It was part of the anti-inflammatory COX 2 inhibitors that were created to relieve arthritis pain better without any of the negative side effects found in the use of the older medications. Unfortunately, Vioxx had deadly results. The drug was campaigned heavily as Merck and Company used celebrity endorsers such as Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamil. Supposedly Vioxx took away her knee pain allowing her to skate once again. However, many Vioxx users lost their life. It is rumored that Vioxx remained in use for so long, despite the concerns, because it generated 2.5 billion dollars in yearly profit. This figure generated twelve percent of Merck and Company’s revenue. No one should fall victim to greed. If you are a resident of the state of Delaware and have suffered a medical illness from the use of Vioxx, please contact an attorney. A lawyer will be more than happy to help you process your claim and they can tell you if you are owed monetary compensation.