02/26/2008 - National Legal News

Lawyers for individuals seeking early payment from the multi-billion dollar Vioxx settlement have been granted an extra month to submit their paperwork.

Due to difficulties experienced by some lawyers in obtaining the medical and other supporting paperwork needed to enroll clients in the early payout by Vioxx manufacturer Merck & Co. the original Feb. 29 deadline has been pushed back to March 30. However, participants’ names and Social Security numbers must still be submitted prior to the Feb. 29 deadline. According to Merck spokesman Kent Jarrell, individuals whose lawyers file correctly and on time could receive partial payments by late summer.

To date, more than 58,000 people have registered as interested parties in the class-action settlement. Lawyers have formally enrolled approximately 13,200, Jarrell said.

Lawyers may have until as late as Oct. 30 to submit claims for individuals not wishing to participate in early partial payouts.

Developed by Merck to treat osteoarthritis and other acute pain conditions, Vioxx was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1999. Merck voluntarily recalled Vioxx from the market in 2004 after reports linked the drug to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in patients using it long-term and in high doses.

Merck later agreed to a $4.85 billion federal court settlement to resolve thousands of lawsuits filed by individuals who claim that they or their family members were injured or killed as a result of the drug’s side effects.