While Merck vowed to aggressively pursue Vioxx litigation and never settle a case, it turned out that as the company did all along, it was simply lying. After causing the painful death of a shocking 60,000 Americans, the company finally settled the Vioxx related personal injury lawsuits.

Pfizer, the other company in the painkiller business, was a smaller evil, killing fewer people with its deadly painkillers Bextra and Celebrex. While the FDA forced a recall of Bextra, it put the worst possible black box safety rating on Celebrex, which is still available but not being used by any arthritis patient who wishes to live.

Learning from Merck, Pfizer is now quietly settling lawsuits relating to Bextra and Celebrex. The Times reports that the company is offering settlement amounts of $40,000 to $50,000. If you are one of the victims of these two painkillers, it may be time to approach your attorney to discuss if receiving a cash compensation may be a better option than going against a pharmaceutical company that does not care much about human life and would rather sell a deadly drug and settle later than to develop a safe drug.

Looks as if Merck’s Vioxx lawsuit settlement plan to hand out token payments to victims is working. According to the company, more than 44,000 Americans have completed the documentation to receive the compensation.

It is expected that most of these victims will receive an interim payment later this year and the balance will be handed out later.

Merck had struck a deal with attorneys that left basically no choice for the plaintiffs but to join the settlement and receive whatever small amounts the company was handing out since these victims would have had difficulty finding lawyers to argue their cases.

It is estimated that as many as 60,000 Americans were killed by Vioxx and more than 140,000 suffered personal injuries.

After dragging its feet for over three years, denying that it will never settle and fight each case one by one, and blaming the victims, Merck has finally decided to settle with Vioxx victims.

What are the terms of the settlement?

Your total payment will be around $100,000 but depending on your agreement with your attorney (they generally take a 30-50% cut) and if you had taken a cash advance against your settlement, you will get the balance.

Should you take the settlement?

It does seem that for someone whose loved one is dead (60,000 Americans died due to Vioxx), this is a slap in their face. At the same time, if your loved one was obese, was a heavy smoker, and had other illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, it will be an uphill battle to fight the case.

It also seems that most lawyers are ready to settle and move on. You may have a hard time fighting such a case.

If you were only injured (heart attack or stroke), while you are at high risk of death for the rest of your life, it is best to take the money and run.

What are the next steps?

It is the best time to discuss your situation with your attorney. If you are not satisfied, it is still not too late to find another attorney and understand out your options.