Vioxx lawsuits reach 9,200

After the first federal Vioxx trial in Houston ended in a mistrial, the news only keeps getting bad for Merck. According to a statement released by the company, the number of Vioxx related lawsuits has jumped to 9,200 as of November 30 this year. The company has already cut thousands of jobs and closed plants and it is likely that it will continue to do so as it gets ready to pay billions of dollars in Vioxx liabilities that are estimated to be over $50 billions.

The number of lawsuits against Merck was 6,400 at the end of September. In other words, the victims are suing the company at the rate of 1,500 a month. Another report indicates that a law firm in Australia has sued the company on behalf of 400 Australian victims and thousands of more lawsuits are expected to be filed there.