Media Contact:
Tina Lumbis
TLumbis@messalaw.com
215.568.3500
MESSA & ASSOCIATES, P.C.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (July 31, 2010) – $1,250,000 total recovery for a client who suffered permanent damage to his heart as a result of his physician’s negligence in prescribing a dangerous dosage of Vioxx.
Vioxx, a prescription medication used for treatment of osteoarthritis, amongst others, was approved for use in 1999. The painkiller was pulled off the market in 2004 after an analysis of patients using Vioxx linked the defective drug to more than 27,000 heart attacks or sudden cardiac deaths in the U.S. from 1999 through 2003. The withdrawal prompted thousands of product liability lawsuits that claimed Merck failed to provide adequate warnings to doctors and patients about the drug’s risks.
The Plaintiff’s physician failed to adhere to the appropriate treatment by prescribing 50mg of Vioxx, which is twice the recommended dosage for any patient. The manufacturer’s warnings stated that patients should not receive a dosage of 50mgs for more than five consecutive days, which the Plaintiff was prescribed to take for a period of three years.
As a direct result of the physician’s negligence, the Plaintiff suffered a myocardial infarction, resulting in significant cardiac injury. Due to the carelessness of the physician, the Plaintiff underwent an angioplasty procedure and was left with arrhythmia, which required an implantation of a pacemaker. The case was handled by Joseph L. Messa Jr., of Messa & Associates, P.C.
For more information regarding the settlement, please contact Tina Lumbis at 1-877 MESSALAW.
