Lawsuits. Lawsuits. Lawsuits. And they're coming fast. The recall came after testing revealed the risk of heart attack or stroke doubled for those taking Vioxx.

The final bill for Merck's Vioxx is just beginning to be toted up before it pulled Vioxx off the market because of the cardiac risks the painkiller could pose to long-term users.

Evelyn Irvin Plunkett said she remembers the day her husband starting taking Vioxx for back pain. It was April 15, 2001.

Following Merck & Co.'s withdrawal of the blockbuster painkiller Vioxx, patients, shareholders and even the company began scrambling to figure out their next moves.

The flood of phone calls to plaintiffs' lawyers began soon after pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. announced that it would withdraw its painkiller Vioxx from the market because of safety concerns.

Merck could face legal liabilities of up to $10B following its worldwide withdrawal of the blockbuster pain drug Vioxx, according to some analysts' estimates.

Merck & Company's decision to stop selling the painkiller Vioxx, one of its most profitable drugs, could hardly have come at a worse time for the company.

The plaintiffs bar was heartened when pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. stopped sales of Vioxx, a popular arthritis drug that relieves aches and pains, but increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

A new FDA study found patients taking a high dose of Vioxx were three times more likely to have a heart attack. As a result, Merck & Co. is pulling the arthritis drug from the market.

The death of a teenager last week from liver failure is raising questions anew about an antidepressant that continues to be available in the U.S. despite having been removed from the market in other countries.