First of Vioxx Lawsuits Heads to Trial

AP ^ | 55 minutes ago | KRISTEN HAYS

[The SISU kid]

HOUSTON - For more than eight months, Vioxx eased the pain and stiffness in Robert Ernst's hands. But eight days after Ernst, a 59-year-old personal trainer, clocked 62 miles on a bike, he died in his sleep from arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat.

[FormerACLUmember]

An absolute goldmine for the evil shyster industry.

[P-Marlowe]

...59-year-old personal trainer, clocked 62 miles on a bike, he died in his sleep from arrhythmia...

And this can be traced to vioxx use because....?

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

n : the logical fallacy of believing that temporal succession implies a causal relation [syn: post hoc]

[LIConFem]

Wonderful. Introduce a drug that's meant to be taken for a limited period of time at a specific dosage, and add a doctor who'll gladly prescribe twice or three times that dosage for an indefinite period of time. The result? Lots of dead people, and a windfall for trial lawyers, schysters and assorted ambulance chasers.

[thoughtomator]

Historically, 59-year-olds haven't fared well clocking 62 miles on a bike in one session.

[marty60]

Yeah I took that crap for two years, now I get to go to the hospital for angioplasty. Had one last week after a rather scarey attack. My cardiovascular is not good. AND ALL I WANTED WAS RELIEF FROM MY OSTEOARTHRITIS PAIN.

[marty60]

Sorry, it is a very difficult case to make. they will dig up anyone in his family that had heart trouble and try to say they didn't cause the problem. Genetic doncha know. Why do you think Merck has been such smarta's about the lawsuits.

TEXAS will have to bring them to their knees.

[USNA74]

I totally agree with you -- people have heart attacks every day. Others have related heart problems. I have no idea how someone can prove vioxx caused death by heart attack or other heart disease, to the exclusion of every other known, or unknown, source of heart disease.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Introduce a drug that's meant to be taken for a limited period of time at a specific dosage, and add a doctor who'll gladly prescribe twice or three times that dosage for an indefinite period of time.

See also Prilosec, Omeprazole, Prevacid - actually, any of the Proton Pump Inhibitors - Ambien, Lunesta...and so forth.

[Haru Hara Haruko]

An absolute goldmine for the evil shyster industry.

So killing 30,000 people is no biggie?

[FreedomSurge]

For me vioxx was a mircle drug. I pray this man gets nothing.

[Haru Hara Haruko]

But at least you were in no danger of any euphoria from a narcotic pain med, and the nation was safer from drug abuse. Your sacrifice is, I'm sure, appreciated at the DEA, which pushed Vioxx.

[Sarastro]

So killing 30,000 people is no biggie?

Reference please?

[marty60]

Do your research. Vioxx and most drugs used for Arthritis are NOT narcotic. But your rant sounded nice. That is the problem, just like the dums, make outragous claims without knowing the facts.

[Haru Hara Haruko]

TRy reading my post.

Of course Vioxx is not a narcotic painkiller.

That is why the Drug Warriors were so enthusiastic for a new, unproven, and ultimately very dangerous drug.

[The SISU kid]

You & me both Brother. At 40-1/2 years of age, in shape, smart eater, no bad habits, height & weight proportional, my Renal functions completely shut down.....Was prescribed this fix-all drug for arthritis in my knees from 5 prior knee surgeries (in my teen years) by Family Dr. No questions asked, just a try this pill & see if it works. 50mg a day for two years, It worked for the joint pain, but I wound up in the E.R., 245/165 B.P. (all because I went to the optometrist because I was having difficulty seeing out of my right eye) You tell me, who knew what & when did they know it?

[Woman on Caroline Street]

>For me vioxx was a mircle drug. I pray this man gets nothing.<

The man WON'T get anything. He's DEAD. And now his wife is a widow. And if I was on the jury deciding the damages, I'd make sure the award was so high, the pharmaceutical reps would have to settle for Mickey D dollar menus for their clients' meals.

[FreedomSurge]

I meant I hope his widow and her lawyers get nothing.

[Haru Hara Haruko]

FDA says 27,000 dead. Financial Times reported 55,000. Well over 100,000 seriously injured. "may be the single greatest drug-safety catastrophe in the history of... the world."

http://216.109.117.135/search/cache?p=vioxx+fda+deaths&ei=UTF-8&fl=0&u=www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/living/10220598.htm&w=vioxx+fda+deaths&d=C2F150A36B&icp=1&.intl=us

Perhaps it would ease Mercx's pain to throw a few people out of their homes and build a new plant on a prime waterfront location.

[Haru Hara Haruko]

So, OK, I was worong about the number.

Could be 55,0000.

But hey, if takes even one Oxycontin pill off the streets and away from the CHEEEEELDREN, it's all worth it, right?