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Minnesota Vioxx Lawyer

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Many residents of Minnesota might be unaware of the many life-threatening medical illnesses that may occur, or have already occurred, from the use of the prescription drug Vioxx. The once-popular prescription drug was first used by the public in countries worldwide in the year 1999. Vioxx was created by the pharmaceutical leader Merck and Co.. Even before the initial launch date of Vioxx, concerns were raised about how fast it had sped through the FDA's approval process, and if the drug trials were conducted with enough time to determine its true safety. The University of Pennsylvania had concluded in a medical trial that the use of Vioxx made users more prone to certain cardiovascular events. These cardiovascular events included heart attacks, developing blood clots and having a stroke. However, Merck assured the public that Vioxx was safe, and it was soon in every pharmacy in America and in many countries around the world.

Vioxx was designed to be part of a new series of arthritic medications. These medications were categorized as COX 2 inhibitors and worked as an anti-inflammatory medicine. Examples of other anti-inflammatory medications are ibuprofen and naproxen. The new generation of arthritis medications were supposed to relieve the pain associated with arthritis without any of the harmful side effects that were associated with the older drugs. Millions of people suffer from arthritis pain on a daily basis. Unfortunately, Vioxx caused arthritis sufferers to have even more problems.

For many people who took Vioxx, it was their first truly pain-free period in years. It is no wonder that by 2003, Vioxx made up 10 percent of Merck's total revenue stream at over 2.3 billion dollars. It wasn't until years later that the FDA and Merck realized that they should have paid more attention to the findings from the University of Pennsylvania. Shortly after Vioxx's release, 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 and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the market.

Although heart attack and stroke were the major effects of Vioxx, many people suffered other serious side effects such as the onset of acute kidney failure, allergic reactions such as swelling of the face, lips, throat and tongue, and internal bleeding in the intestine or stomach. If left untreated, these side effects could lead to death as well.

Merck refused to believe that Vioxx was causing death and injury, so they launched their own separate investigation to try and prove these studies and theories wrong. However, these studies done by Merck's own scientists showed that after 18 months of consecutive Vioxx use, one becomes much more susceptible to heart attacks and strokes. Merck released the findings of their study, confirming the public's worst fears in the process. In September 2004, the pharmaceutical giant voluntarily pulled Vioxx off the market.

To date, more than 30,000 deaths have been linked to Vioxx usage. Thousands more people have been injured due to heart attack or suffer from chronic cardiovascular problems as well. If you or a loved one are a resident of Minnesota and have taken the prescription drug Vioxx, you should contact an attorney. The manufacturer, Merck, may be found at fault if you have developed a severe medical illness because of the use of Vioxx. An attorney will process your claim for you and tell you how much monetary compensation you may be owed. The more people that stand up to the drug companies, the less likely it will be that a similar situation like this will happen again. Contact a Minnesota Vioxx lawyer or attorney today to help put a stop to pharmaceutical negligence.