On February 29, 2008, roughly 45,000 plaintiffs who suffered heart attack or stroke that qualify for the Vioxx settlement must enroll if they wish to be receive part of the massive $4.85 billion fund set aside by lawyers and the pharmaceutical company Merck for those injured by the painkiller drug Vioxx.
In order to validate the money set aside—which could be taken off the table if certain criteria is not met—85% of those claimants must enroll in the settlement.
The settlement amount is being divided up by tens of thousands of people, and some victims are claiming the share set aside for them isn’t enough. One woman who suffered a Vioxx-related heart attack lost her job and had to pay more than $200,000 in medical bills. Her share of the settlement is roughly $530,000, but she feels that since she suffered greatly, that amount is not enough.
Vioxx is believed to have been a contributing factor in Texas drug injuries—namely heart attacks and strokes—and has left many Texas drug injury victims seeking compensation for their pain, suffering, and considerable medical bills.
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