The Vioxx Parade

Last week I commented on a responsible company, Kryptonite, for replacing faulty bicycle locks. When the story about Merck and its worldwide recall of Vioxx, I was disappointed, not because I directly compare Vioxx to a bicycle locks, but because no matter what product is faulty, the vultures circle any negative product announcement. Lawsuits were filed as early as yesterday and more were filed today.

There is no shame as this article refers to the string of class actions suits as a "parade". I'm sure this parade is full of clowns and hot air balloons. It also seems there Vioxx users out there with no problems, but are encouraged to join the parade.

The class action complaint covers an estimated 300,000 people who took the medication for everything from arthritis pain to menstrual symptoms.

The only named plaintiff, Constance Oswald, said an attorney who happened to know she took Vioxx asked if she wanted to join the lawsuit.

"My experience with Vioxx was great; it really helped me," said the Chicago woman, who'd used the drug for four years to combat osteoarthritis pain in her knees and feet.

Is it possible for a company to recall a product, try to make good on it, and survive without a litany of lawsuits? At stake are 28,700 employees supporting families worldwide, millions of other patients taking their fifteen other products, and future products in development. As the parade passes by my door, I don't want these lawsuits to prevent me from getting Singulair in the future. These lawsuits are chipping away at the future of drug development. At this point, I strongly feel that Merck is being responsible. The parade only benefits the attorneys since they take a large percentage of what is awarded on the plaintiffs' behalf.

Then in Canada, the suit parade is gearing up. This line from the article really gets me:

Jay Fiddler, who just refilled a $130 Vioxx prescription before the recall, is considering joining the lawsuit. She said she’d like to participate to force the company to produce safer drugs.

Yes, $130 is a lot of money, but in Canada, isn't how much drugs cost a mute point? Since the healthcare system in Canada is socialized, why are class action suits being filed when the government should be the one taking care of it all? Nothing Merck could do could make that right in Canada because if individuals can sue and the government can sue, they could conceivably pay twice.

Merck and the whole pharmaceutical industry is in trouble, not because of bad products, but because tort lawyers would rather milk companies like Merck dry before they can even use their cash reserves to fix a problem.

Unlike CBS, I will admit if I'm wrong. I was under the impression that medication in Canada was covered 100%. However, mkanderson.com user TransplantedAmerican pointed out that drugs in Canada are subsidized. But I'm really interested in following this case because it's a huge class action suit in Canada and I want to know if Merck will be held responsible both to the consumer and the government. Research will follow on this issue.

In addition, I was speaking to a nurse friend of mine who told me that this discovery of Vioxx's side effect was accidental. Some of you may be aware that even after drugs are released, they are tested for other uses. For example, I have cluster headaches, and I take Verapamil to reduce the frequency of headaches. Verapamil is a drug normally used for hypertension. The point is that Vioxx was approved legally and when Merck found the problem during research, they recalled it worldwide. The problem apparently only shows up if the patient takes Vioxx for 18 months straight. My friend tells me that doctors observe any patient who takes any pain medication for 18 months or longer. I'm beginning to wonder if the actual problem is more hype than dangerous for patients.

Popularity: 1% [?]