The spirit of New Hampshire can be seen in the people that call the rough and rugged state home. And although New Hampshire is not considered a retirement destination, the people that spend their lives in this northeastern state are also likely to retire there. This is why everyone in the state of New Hampshire should be aware of a recent fit of lawsuits against the drug company Merck. The lawsuits stem from the realization that Vioxx can cause heart attacks and strokes, or at least make them much more likely to happen. A series of lawsuits have already been ruled on with the vast majority of the suits ruling in favor of the affected parties. If you or a loved one used Vioxx for any reason and then later suffered a serious health problem, you should seek the advice of a trained negligence lawyer who specializes in cases like this one. You can get restitution for your medical bills, lost wages and even punitive damages from the company that made Vioxx. You may not be able to buy Vioxx anymore, but the effects of the drug are still being felt.

For many people in New Hampshire, however, calling a lawyer might not be the first thing that comes to mind. The people of New Hampshire have demonstrated time and time again that they are fiercely independent and they are not the kind of people to seek out legal help every time something goes wrong. But sometimes, it is not just ok to ask for help, it is the proper thing to do. Drug companies make a habit out of rushing drugs through testing so that they can start making obscene profits off of them as soon as possible. In 2003 alone, Merck made 2.3 billion dollars off of Vioxx. That amounted to 10 percent of their total profits. While Merck did act responsibly by pulling the drug off of the shelves themselves after their own study showed a clear link between Vioxx and blood clotting abnormalities, the drug should have never been on the market to begin with. While Vioxx did do a great job at stopping the pain associated with arthritis, there are dozens of other pain killers that do a good job doing the same thing. If the drug had been tested properly, over 30,000 people who are thought to have been killed by Vioxx might still be alive. If your life has been affected by this drug, you have a civil obligation to make a stand against greedy drug companies.

There is a chance that your state already has a class action lawsuit against Merck that is processing as we speak. In that case, joining that lawsuit is simple and the amount of work that you and your lawyer will have to undertake will be minimal. You would simply need the evidence that you were prescribed Vioxx over a period of time and then documentation from your doctor showing that you had a health problem that could be related to the drug. Going to trial is never fun and it is not a process one should enter into lightly, but if you are buried under a mound of doctor’s bills and you are suffering from lost wages due to the untimely passing of your spouse or partner due to Vioxx, do not wait another minute. There can be sweet financial relief for you if you contact a lawyer in your area that specializes in these types of cases.