Merck Agrees to $4.85B Settlement Over Pain Medication Vioxx

Merck pulled Vioxx from the market Sept. 30, 2004, after its researchers determined the then-blockbuster painkiller doubled risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Merck & Co. to Pay $4.85 Billion Vioxx Settlement

Negotiating teams met more than 50 times in eight states and spoke hundreds of times over the telephone to hammer out the deal, according to attorneys.

$4.85 Billion Settlement for Vioxx Claims

Merck & Co. Inc. has agreed to pay $4.85 billion to resolve Vioxx-related claims in which a claimant has suffered a heart attack, sudden cardiac death, or stroke.

Uncertainty Legal Deadlines Factored into Merck Vioxx Pact

Merck once vowed to fight the massive Vioxx litigation case-by-case over many years. So why has the drug maker agreed to settle most of the lawsuits.

Green Eggs & Ham

It was 6:30 a.m. in New Orleans, and Russ Herman had worked up an appetite. "I met my son for breakfast," Herman said. "We had eggs over light, two biscuits, ham, and several cups of coffee. And we had a lot to talk about."

Major Drug Company Settles Suit for $4.85 Billion

More than 45,000 people nationwide filed suit against the company after suffering heart attacks, strokes and sudden cardiac deaths.

Beasley Allen settles Vioxx suits for $4.85 billion

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.

Avandia Vote at FDA Kept Secret, Leads to Questions from US Senator

Avandia may have been the subject of a secret vote by a Food & Drug Administration (FDA) panel in which it apparently decided by a one-vote margin to keep the controversial drug on the market.

The State of NY and NY City File Lawsuit Against Merck

The New York State Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, along with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, have filed a lawsuit on behalf of the State of NY and NY City seeking damages, penalties, and restitution for "tens of millions of taxpayer dollars wrongfully spent on Vioxx prescriptions".

Medtronic Stops Selling Heart Device

Fridley-based Medtronic, the world's largest maker of electronic heart devices, is halting distribution of a wire used with defibrillators.