June 30, 2008 9:39 AM
More than 59,000 people have registered claims against drugmaker Merck & Co. for injury from painkiller Vioxx, and administrators have enough records to review about 9,100 of those claims.
June 16, 2008 3:21 PM
More than 44,000 people have signed up for shares of a $4.85 billion settlement over the withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, a sign that the deal is on track to go forward, Merck & Co. announced Monday.
May 27, 2008 4:46 PM
The anti-smoking drug Chantix was removed by the Federal Aviation Administration from the list of medications deemed safe for pilots and air traffic controllers. The FAA ban followed a public health advisory issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that contained a five-point safety guide on the severe changes in mood and behavior persons taking Chantix may go through.
May 9, 2008 1:44 PM
Merck & Co. announced Friday that it will pay $4.85 billion to settle as claims by as many as 47,000 groups of plaintiffs over injuries linked to its blockbuster Vioxx painkiller.
April 15, 2008 4:51 PM
Renewed criticism of Merck & Co's handling of its withdrawn pain drug Vioxx may further tarnish the drugmaker's image but is not about to scuttle its multibillion-dollar deal to settle thousands of personal injury lawsuits brought by former Vioxx users.
April 1, 2008 11:35 AM
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Allegations from Congress that drug makers Schering-Plough Corp. and Merck & Co. hid negative research results to boost sales have cast a shadow over the companies' futures.
March 14, 2008 4:19 PM
It was reported today (March 14, 2008) that two doctors accused of negligence in the death of beloved actor John Ritter have been cleared of all charges by a Glendale, Calif., jury. The physicians, a cardiologist and a radiologist, were under fire in the diagnosis and treatment of the actor, who died of a torn aorta in 2003.
March 12, 2008 9:01 AM
A Little Rock, Ark., federal jury found Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Upjohn (a Pfizer unit) liable for $27 million in punitive damages to Donna Scroggin, who sued the drug manufacturers in 2004 after developing breast cancer after taking hormone-replacement therapy. The award includes $19.3 million from Wyeth and $7.7 from Upjohn.
March 11, 2008 3:17 PM
A March 2008 FDA patient safety news bulletin reiterated warnings to healthcare professionals about dangerous and possibly fatal skin reactions to the drug carbamazepine in certain patient populations. Reactions include Stevens Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis.
March 11, 2008 10:25 AM
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- For those convinced that vaccines can cause autism, the sad case of a Georgia girl, daughter of a doctor and lawyer, seems like clear-cut evidence. The government has agreed to pay the girl's family for injury caused by vaccines.
