Massachusetts is part of Vioxx settlement
Massachusetts and 29 other states will share in a $58 million settlement with New Jersey drug maker Merck & Co. to resolve allegations that Merck used deceptive marketing tactics to promote its arthritis drug Vioxx, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said today.
Massachusetts will receive $1.64 million of that payment, $1 million of which will go into a special fund to benefit low-income consumers of prescription drugs and programs to educate them about the cost differences among medications, Coakley's office said.
A complaint filed today in Suffolk Superior Court alleges that Merck failed to disclose to consumers that Vioxx posed an increased risk of heart attack, Coakley's office said.
The complaint also noted that in 2004, Merck finally admitted that Vioxx caused serious cardiovascular events and withdrew the drug from the market, Coakley's office said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
