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North Carolina Vioxx Lawyer

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When it was first introduced in 1999, Vioxx was supposed to be a miracle drug for sufferers of arthritis. Touted as being virtually side-effect free, it was prescribed to tens of thousands of ailing patients within weeks of its release. In the year 2003 alone, the drug's manufacturer, popular pharmaceutical company Merck, reported a $2.3 billion dollar revenue from Vioxx alone. Like Pfizer and their drug Viagra, every drug company spends millions of dollars per year developing, studying and testing new drugs that they hope will become household words and something that you just cannot live without. Merck thought that they had found the ultimate drug when the FDA approved Vioxx. In the years to come, however, it became one of the most dangerous prescription drugs in history.

For some Vioxx users, the drug gave them their first truly pain-free periods in years. What people didn't know, however, was that Vioxx also increased the chances for heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrest for its users, especially for elderly users. At first, doctors wrote it off as natural causes of old age. But soon, a clear link was seen between Vioxx usage and these serious conditions.

As more and more cases of death and injury started to surface that were linked to Vioxx usage, the FDA was alerted to the situation and launched a three-year long investigation into the drug. Although they were defensive about the product at first, additional internal studies performed by Merck's own scientists showed a strong connection between serious health risks and long-term Vioxx use. By 2004, lawsuits began to flood Merck, and the billions of dollars in profit from Vioxx quickly went into the hands of the general public.

During the course of this investigation and subsequent lawsuits, it was found that Merck failed to disclose the harmful effects that Vioxx could have on people. Evidence also suggests that they tried to keep doctors and other medical professionals from telling their patients about what could happen to them. For the people who have suffered the ill effects of Vioxx, this news was startling and undoubtedly caused a lot of anger across the country. Vioxx was eventually recalled voluntarily by Merck and taken off the market in 2004.

Lawsuits began almost right away. A woman in Texas was awarded $200 million because her husband died of a heart attack while taking Vioxx. Hundreds of other lawsuits have been filed across the country. To date, approximately 30,000 people have experienced an early death due to the effects of Vioxx, and the numbers continue to rise each year.

If you or anyone in your family took Vioxx at any point and suffered what you believe to be Vioxx-related health problems, contact a local attorney who specializes in cases of corporate negligence. You could be due back wages, reimbursed for medical expenses, funeral expenses, and you might also be eligible for punitive damages due to Merck's irresponsible behavior.

Cases like these have sparked a rise in areas of law that deal exclusively with corporate negligence and consumer fraud, so there is likely to be a lawyer or attorney in North Carolina who is familiar with Vioxx. Merck has set aside almost $1 billion for fighting these lawsuits. Get in contact with a local North Carolina lawyer who is experienced with lawsuits and litigation regarding defective pharmaceuticals and similar cases. There are still ongoing lawsuits against Merck, even years later. Get the peace of mind and compensation you deserve, and contact a North Carolina Vioxx lawyer attorney today.