Poles sue Vioxx makers

Poles sue Vioxx makers

Fifty thousand Poles have taken Vioxx, the painkiller that, as a Texas court has proved, leads to heart attacks and strokes. Four of those who have taken the life-threatening painkiller have decided to sue the American pharmaceutical company for compensation in the USA.

Already four Poles are determined to fight for compensations in American courts after they got serious heart failures. The internationally known medicine called Vioxx was meant to be a highly effective painkiller. However, instead of healing their painful backbones the patients almost killed their hearts. Many of them used vioxx until it was finally withdrawn from the market in October last year.

Out of the 50 thousands Poles who have taken the medicine or rather poison – one would say- 81 have reported suffering harm on their health caused by the medicine.

An American law firm which have already won an exceptionally high compensation of 253mln US dollars for an American widow of a vioxx victim, is ready to represent the Polish sufferers in court promising not lower compensations than those of 75thousand US dollars, says Lawrence Landskroner of Lawrence Landskroner and Associates in Ohio, the USA:

Patients have to collect a very detailed documentation of their treatment process and prove that the medicine was taken for at least 18 months . Then, as the damage on health is significant, the chances to win the case seem to be very high.

Even though the issue of vioxx is not the first one, and trials connected with similar pharmaceutical affairs haven’t finished up yet in Polish courts, Poles seem to be unable to stop just gobbling tons of drugs.

Statistics say that about 40% of Polish people visit a pharmacy once a month. While 80% of Poles suffer from headaches, 79% of them get themselves any painkiller without prescription.

The pharmaceutical business seems to be flourish in Poland no matter what.. But is it at least properly controlled? Jarosław Pinkas of the Kardiological Institut in Warsaw:

American courts have to deal now with some 4 thousand cases from the whole world concerning Vioxx , as the medicine was distributed in 80 countries. (pg)