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Merck to settle Vioxx claims for $4.85 billion

Pharma Compliance Alert, November 14, 2007

After fighting individual lawsuits over its pain reliever Vioxx for years, Merck has agreed to a blanket settlement of the remaining claims for $4.85 billion.

While the final settlement may seem high, some analysts had predicted Merck would spend as much as $25 billion to settle the suits, according to the New York Times.

Merck stopped selling Vioxx in September 2004 after a clinical trial showed Vioxx increased the risk of strokes and heart attacks in some patients. Merck fought all of the claims brought against it until last week and won most of the cases in front of a jury.

Merck is settling the remaining claims now because the judges overseeing the cases had encouraged both sides to come to terms and because it wanted to stop spending $600 million a year on its defense, according to the Times article. The plaintiffs do not have to accept the settlement, which would result in an average $120,000 payment to each plaintiff.

Click here to read more from the New York Times.

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