More Dangerous Drugs

More Dangerous Drugs

Vioxx • Zyprexa® • Zelnorm • Baycol • Rezulin

Vioxx is an arthritis pain medication that its manufacturer, Merck, withdrew from the market in 2004 after a study showed it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke in long-term users of the medicine.

Merck agreed in 2007 to pay $4.85 billion to settle thousands of personal-injury lawsuits from former Vioxx users who claimed the drug caused their heart attacks or strokes. But hundreds of lawsuits remain from those who were not eligible for the big settlement and from third-party payers looking to recoup the money they paid for Vioxx taken by their members.

A settlement announced Aug. 3, 2009, for $80 million covers the 190 outstanding private third-party payer claims, including all actions pending in New Jersey and in the multi-district litigation that was consolidated in Louisiana, according to Merck.

Zelnorm On March 28, 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked Novartis Pharmaceuticals to voluntarily stop selling Zelnorm (Tegaserod), a medicine used for the treatment of women with constipation-related irritable bowel syndrome (sometimes called IBS) and patients younger than 65 years of age with chronic constipation. The FDA concluded that the benefits of Zelnorm (Tegaserod) no longer outweighed the risk, based on findings of increased risk of serious cardiovascular events such as heart attack (myocardial infarction) and stroke associated with use of the drug. Novartis has stopped marketing the drug.

Zyprexa® which is FDA approved for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, has been linked to diabetes-related conditions in users.  Drug maker Eli Lilly has faced numerous federal and state investigations into Zyprexa®’s marketing for off-label uses. Zyprexa® is Lilly’s top-selling product, with $4.7 billion in sales in 2008, 23% of the company’s revenue.

In January, 2009, the company reached a $1.42 billion agreement with the Justice Department that included $800 million to settle civil suits, with $362 million going to states. In October, 2008, Lilly agreed to pay $62 million to 32 states and the District of Columbia that had been investigating consumer-protection claims. In January 2008, it settled with Alaska for $15 million. Before that, it reached agreements to pay a total of $1.2 billion to 31,000 plaintiffs.

As of August 2009 there are 12 state Zyprexa® lawsuits outstanding against Lilly, according to the company.

Baycol a cholesterol-lowering drug, was voluntarily recalled by its manufacturer, Bayer Pharmaceutical Division on Aug. 9, 2001, for links to a deadly muscle condition called rhabdomyolysis.

Rezulin, an oral tablet for treatment of type 2 diabetes, was voluntarily withdrawn from the market by manufacturer Parke-Davis, on March 21, 2001, for risks associated with serious liver damage and death. If you took Rezulin, make sure your doctor is carefully and frequently monitoring your liver. If you or someone close to you has been affected by this drug, Janet, Jenner & Suggs stands ready to assist you.