Australian court: Vioxx doubled heart attack risk
As a medical malpractice attorney in Chicago with experience in medial drug products liability, the recent ruling of the Australian court with regards to the drug Vioxx intrigues me.
An Australian court ruled Friday, “the once-popular painkiller Vioxx doubled the risk of heart attack and was unfit for consumption” (K. Gelineau, 3/5, AP). This ruling opens up claims for many other litigants in lawsuits against the U.S. company Merck & Co. Although the drug was removed from the global market in 2004 after research indicated the risk of stroke and heart attack, millions consumed the drug before it was taken off the market.
The Australian judge found “that Merck Sharpe & Dohme failed in its duty of care by not warning Peterson's doctor about the drug's potential cardiovascular risk, and by its sales representatives emphasizing the drug's safety.”
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