U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform Praises Merck Decisions About VIOXX Claims

On Friday, the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform issued a statement regarding the announcement that Merck & Co. has decided to settle outstanding claims against the company related to its patented drug VIOXX.

The Institute is part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is the world's largest business federation, representing over 3 million businesses and organizations of every sector, size, and region.

"Every day companies face a legal environment where plaintiffs' lawyers attempt to extort billions of dollars in bloated settlements that often benefit attorneys more than the injured party themselves. From the beginning, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has recognized Merck's principled defense strategy to have each VIOXX claim evaluated and decided in court based solely on the merits of the individual claim...Merck [was able to create] a positive legal environment where they could drive this issue to conclusion and craft a reasonable settlement [for] individuals with valid claims...We believe this resolution could only have come about because of their strong and principled legal strategy in this case," said Lisa Rickard, President of the Institute.

A federal jury almost acquitted Merck of all VIOXX guilt altogether in 2005, but the vote came back as 8-1. Federal hearings require unanimity of decision.

VIOXX is a powerful pain reliever that received enormous amounts of prescriptions by physicians and health care providers. However, evidence mounted that anyone who took the drug for longer than 18 months at a time could end up with a doubled increase for heart disease, and VIOXX was removed from all pharmacies' shelves.