Vioxx Lawyers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware

The popular painkiller Vioxx was removed from the market after it was linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Removal of the drug by Merck & Co. was announced Sept. 30, 2004 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (See the FDA news release.) The action occurred after a study by Merck of Vioxx/rofecoxib suggested that some Vioxx users face twice the risk of suffering a heart attack. The most recent data, released September 2006, concluded that Vioxx increased heart and kidney risks, in some cases within 30 days after treatment. (Read the article.)

On Aug. 19, 2005, in the first verdict of a Vioxx-related personal injury lawsuit, a Texas jury found Merck liable for the 2001 death of a man who had taken the medication and awarded $253.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages to his widow. News agencies, such as CNN, projected the case “could have a profound effect on thousands of other cases filed against the company.” (See stories, CNN, New York Times)

If you or someone you know suffered illness or death as a result of using Vioxx, you may want to contact a Vioxx lawyer for a free evaluation of your case.

Kline & Specter, P.C., with some 30 experienced attorneys (five of them also highly regarded doctors), is one of the nation's leading law firms with the ability to litigate Vioxx lawsuits. Kline & Specter, based in Philadelphia and with offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, is among the handful of law firms spearheading the national litigation against Merck, with our Vioxx attorneys deposing ranking Merck & Co. executives and scientists.

Tom Kline is a member of the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee directing the federal Vioxx litigation and he has deposed key witness in the Vioxx litigation. Specter was selected to take the depositions of Merck CEO Ray Gilmartin, Merck Research Laboratories President Peter Kim, Merck former Senior Vice-President Alan Neis and Merck Senior Biostatistician Deborah Shapiro. Specter's examination of Shapiro was held by New Jersey Superior Court Judge Carol Higbee to be the only evidence sufficient to support a punitive damages verdict against Merck.

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What Others Won't Tell You About Finding A Vioxx Attorney

Since a south Texas jury awarded more than a quarter billion dollars to the widow of a man who died after using Merck's Vioxx medication, the trial lawyers have been circling the web. Sites pop up every day, looking for new parties whom lawyers can represent. Banding together a large group of plantiffs puts a firm in a powerful position with regard to the court system and makes the company more likely to try to strike a deal.

Some estimates are that over 7,500 suits are pending or have already been filed with Courts throughout the United States. "Merck may be vigorously defending itself, but the blood is in the water," said Consumer Help Web President Joan Bounacos. "It is critical that consumers pick the right attorney if they intend to participate in legal proceedings."

Consumer Help Web, the Internet's leading consumer advocacy organization announced today a checklist to help consumers find the right legal representation if they are considering a Vioxx claim.

1. Ask your physician for a referral. Although every state "certifies" attorneys in different areas of expertise, your physician may know of an attorney whose practice involves healthcare-related cases.

2. Another resource to use is at FindLaw.com, which provides a list of self-reported information from law firms organized by city. That list is located at http://lawyers.findlaw.com/lawyer/practice/Products%20Liability%20Law

3. Shop for an attorney based on the attorney's experience, proposed fees (especially any contingency fees in the event of a settlement) and referrals. Do not simply pick the first attorney who approaches you or one who offers a lower contingency fee without first investigating them.

4. Check with your local bar association to ensure there are no pending or previous complaints regarding your attorney. An interactive listing of local bar associations can be found for free on the web at http://www.abanet.org/barserv/stlobar.html

5. Once you have selected a lawyer, read everything carefully before you sign a document. Ask for "plain English" descriptions of any wording you do not understand. Once you are given that description, ask to have the description added to your Agreement as an addendum.

6. Make sure you understand who will be your contact in the attorney's firm. In many cases, the actual client contact will be with paralegals and associate attorneys. If you insist on regular meetings with the attorney signing an agrement with you, be prepared to write that requirement into the agreement. Also be prepared to pay extra for those meetings on a billable hour basis.

7. Understand what rights you are surrendering. In your Agreement, you may be assigning the attorney the opportunity to combine your case with others, sell or trade the case to another attorney or accept a settlement if a combined class votes to do so. That settlement's provisions will often allow for attorney's fees to be deducted from the initial amount. That means the attorneys are paid first.

8. Make sure your Agreement specifies what information or evidence you will need to provide and who will bear the costs of gathering that evidence.

9. Keep a written record of all conversations and correspondence with your attorney before, during and after signing an Agreement.

10. Inform your physician that you are now represented by legal counsel. You are not required to say anything, but doing so will help nurture trust and goodwill in your doctor-patient relationship.

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California Vioxx Attorney

The Brandi Law Firm has extensive experience in drug litigation. Thomas Brandi and John Hornbeck have over 50 years of trial experience successfully taking on defective drug companies on behalf of injured people. They have successfully represented clients injured from numerous drugs and devices including Rezulin, Phen-fen, L Tryptophan, Felbatol, breast implants, and the Dalkon Shield IUD. John Hornbeck has served on the MDL committees establishing liability for Rezulin, Phen-fen, and L-Tryptophan. The Brandi Law Firm has a team of attorneys, investigators, doctors and nurses investigating Vioxx cases.

Currently Mr. Brandi serves on the Plaintiff's Management Committee in the California Vioxx Litigation, and he and John Hornbeck both serve on the MDL Science and Discovery Committee in the national Vioxx litigation.

If we represent you, Mr. Brandi and Mr. Hornbeck will be your trial attorneys. On November 13, 2004 Mr. Brandi was named Trial Lawyer of the Year for the State of California by the Consumers Attorneys of California. He has been a finalist for Trial Lawyer of the Year for the Trial Lawyers of Public Justice (2004), Consumer Attorneys of California (2002) and San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (1999, 2001). If you consult with any counsel, you should ask who will be working on your case, and if the case goes to trial, the identity of the trial attorneys and their courtroom trial experience.

WHAT IS VIOXX?

The prescription drug Vioxx, manufactured by Merck & Co., is a prescription COX-2 selective, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that was approved by the FDA in May 1999 for the relief of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis, for the management of acute pain in adults, and for the treatment of menstrual symptoms. Vioxx was later approved for the relief of the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in adults and children. It became a widely prescribed medication for the relief of pain caused by arthritis.

WHY WAS VIOXX WITHDRAWN FROM THE MARKETPLACE?

The FDA was informed by Merck & Co., on September 27, 2004, that the Data Safety Monitoring Board for an ongoing long-term study of Vioxx (APPROVe) had recommended that the study be stopped early for safety reasons. The study was being conducted in patients at risk for developing recurrent colon polyps. The study showed an increased risk of cardiovascular events (including heart attack and stroke) in patients on Vioxx compared to placebo, particularly those who had been taking the drug for longer than 18 months. Based on this new safety information, Merck and FDA officials met the next day, September 28, 2004, and during that meeting the FDA was informed that Merck was voluntarily withdrawing Vioxx from the market place.

WHY WOULD I NEED AN ATTORNEY?

If you or your loved one suffered a "cardiovascular event" (including heart attack and stroke) while taking Vioxx, there may be a causal link between the two. If Vioxx caused the event, you are entitled to seek financial relief under personal injury and defective product liability laws.

At The Brandi Law Firm, our defective drug litigation attorneys have extensive experience representing victims of injuries and people who have lost loved ones as a result of defective medication. John Hornbeck was a key member of the MDL Committees establishing product defect in Fen-Phen Rezulin and L-tryptophan. If you think you may have suffered an injury or lost a loved one as a result of taking Vioxx, contact us immediately. We will schedule a FREE CONSULTATION where you will meet with a knowledgeable defective drug lawyer.

We serve clients in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout California, including the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Irvine, and Ventura, as well as San Mateo, Alameda, San Luis Obispo, Mendocino, Solano, Contra Costa, Marin, Orange, and Santa Clara Counties.

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