Nearly 50,000 plaintiffs will begin receiving checks next month from Merck & Co. as part of a $4.85 billion settlement over the recalled painkiller Vioxx. More than 97 percent of eligible claimants have enrolled in the settlement program, according to the drug maker. At least 250 pending Vioxx-related class-action lawsuits have yet to be resolved. Vioxx was recalled from the market in 2004 after it was linked to severe cardiovascular side effects.
As stated by Merck on its Vioxx information center web site:
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., July 17, 2008 – Merck & Co., Inc. said today that it is satisfied that the thresholds necessary to trigger funding of the program to resolve state and federal VIOXX myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke (IS) claims in the United States will be met. In fact, the Company expressed its confidence that sufficient enrollments will be verified to exceed the participation threshold requirements. More than 97 percent of eligible claimants now have initiated enrollment in the program.
The Claims Administrator, BrownGreer PLC, continues to receive and verify supporting documentation for some of these enrollments, but the Company has already received releases from approximately 95 percent of eligible claimants. The Company expects that the distribution of interim payments to qualified claimants will begin in August and will continue on a rolling basis until all claimants who qualify for an interim payment are paid. Final payments will be made after all of the eligible claims have been examined.
The Claims Administrator is reporting to U.S. District Court Judge Eldon Fallon in New Orleans today that more than 48,500 of the approximately 50,000 individuals who have registered eligible injuries have enrolled in the program and that the vast majority of enrolled individuals have submitted releases and other materials for verification.
This is a positive development in the Vioxx tragedy that has caused injury to far too many persons.
