A West Palm Beach doctor and his wife filed a lawsuit Thursday against Merck & Co. and company sales representative Angie Henderson, claiming he developed heart damage as a result of taking the arthritis drug Vioxx.
Dr. Robert Plasko contends he suffered heart damage, rendering him permanently disabled, as a result of taking Vioxx. Dr. Plasko is now disabled, and was forced to give up his medical practice of 16 years, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit, filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, West Palm Beach, Florida by attorneys Keen and Reiter, alleges that Merck knew as early as 2000 that Vioxx was unsafe, yet did not withdraw it from the market until September 30, 2004, after a study found that it increases a patients� risk of heart attack and stroke.
Dr. Plasko states that as a consumer and a physician, he was misled by Merck and its sales staff, and that he hopes this litigation will serve as a means to prevent such corrupt activity from happening again in the future.
(via PR Newswire)
1 response so far ↓
neil // May 8, 2005 at 7:34 am
lets say if a doctor who is treating you for depression and thats his only feild put he knows you had a hart attack and b/p and a stent placed in your hart and still give you vioxx is there grounds for legal attion.dont forget its not his feild only a MD dor for the head.
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