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"&lt;p&gt;Robins, Kaplan, Miller &amp;amp; Ciresi L.L.P. is continuing to review claims related to the pain reliever VIOXX, which was withdrawn from the market on September 30, 2004 by Merck &amp;amp; Co., Inc. after a long-term clinical trial demonstrated an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;Launched by Merck in 1999, VIOXX is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (&amp;ldquo;NSAID&amp;rdquo;) known as a COX-2 inhibitor.&amp;nbsp; Due to Merck&#39;s aggressive promotion, VIOXX quickly became a hugely popular prescription pain reliever for the treatment of osteoarthritis, acute pain, menstrual pain and rheumatoid arthritis.&amp;nbsp; Worldwide sales of VIOXX in 2003 were $2.5 billion.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;The clinical trial leading to the withdrawal of VIOXX&amp;nbsp; was not the first to raise suspicion about the safety of VIOXX.&amp;nbsp; By early 2000, results from the VIGOR (VIOXX Gastrointestinal Outcomes Research) study also indicated an increased risk of cardiovascular events compared to another painkiller.&amp;nbsp; The FDA sent a warning letter to Merck in 2001 calling Merck&#39;s promotional campaign for VIOXX &amp;ldquo;false and misleading&amp;rdquo; because it minimized the potentially serious findings in the VIGOR trial.&amp;nbsp; Merck never put the cardiovascular risks associated with taking VIOXX in the Warning sections of the labeling for its multi-billion-dollar-a-year drug.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;On September 30, 2004, FDA issued a Public Advisory to inform patients of Merck&#39;s actions and to advise them to see their doctors for alternative medications. &lt;/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;Robins, Kaplan, Miller &amp;amp; Ciresi L.L.P. is actively involved in VIOXX litigation.&amp;nbsp; In fact, our attorney Roberta B. Walburn (who was a leader in the State of Minnesota&#39;s successful lawsuit against Big Tobacco) was recently appointed a Vice-Chair of the Plaintiffs&#39; Science Committee in the consolidated federal VIOXX proceedings in United States District Court in Louisiana.&amp;nbsp; Ms. Walburn will also chair the Medical Communications/Learned Intermediary sub-committee.&amp;nbsp; The firm further represents dozens of clients from across Minnesota and the country who suffered life-altering injuries as a result of taking VIOXX.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;If you or your loved one has taken VIOXX and suffered a heart attack or stroke, you may want more information. Please feel free to contact &lt;span class=&quot;SYSHYPERTEXT&quot;&gt;Gary Wilson&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;SYSHYPERTEXT&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt; or &lt;span class=&quot;SYSHYPERTEXT&quot;&gt;Tara Sutton&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;SYSHYPERTEXT&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt; at Robins, Kaplan, Miller &amp;amp; Ciresi L.L.P. at 1-800-553-9910 or to send them an e-mail click on this link: &lt;a href=&quot;~/link.aspx?_id=420087BC717C4178B5ED4C652153E75A&amp;amp;_z=z&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;SYSHYPERTEXT&quot;&gt;contact us&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;Related Articles: &lt;a href=&quot;~/link.aspx?_id=B8ACB418F8744FAE8B887C1766FF3F5C&amp;amp;_z=z&quot;&gt;Vioxx Pulled Off the Market Because of Increased Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;"
<https://www.robinskaplan.com/resources/publications/2005/04/latest-news-on-vioxx-recall>