Vioxx makers, Merck and Company, lost their first lawsuit. Carol Ernst, who
sued the company after her husband suffered a fatal heart attack while taking
Vioxx, was awarded, 253 million dollars in damages.
Unfortunately, Carol Ernst will unlikely see any more than 26 million
dollars because Texas has a cap
on how much money can be won in punitive damages.
Cases against Merck and Company Soar
This, you can imagine, has caused a surge in other lawsuits filed against
the pharmaceutical company. Within weeks, roughly 1,000 new cases have been
filed.
Merck and Company- Appeal?
Most likely, Merck and Company will appeal the decision. They have stated
their innocence from the beginning and this case will prove disastrous, not
only for Merck but for pharmaceutical companies as a whole.
However, Merck may be more affected by the verdict then they
would like to let on. The enormity of their first case winning punitive damages
of $253 million dollars cannot go unnoticed, and there are now reports that Merck
may settle. Yet there is no official word on this course of action and
understandably so; with thousands of new cases springing up, the word that
Merck will settle could cause even more new cases, so we will have to wait and
see what the future has in store for Vioxx, Merck and Company, and those who
have filed lawsuits against them. We won’t have to wait too long; however, the
next Vioxx trial is set for September 12th in Atlantic
City, New Jersey.