Two area women who suffered heart attacks after taking the arthritis drug Vioxx have been notified that they are receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in a settlement from the manufacturer of the medication.
Stamford attorney Michael Jacobs said a 70-year-old Harpersfield woman will receive between $300,000 and $350,000, and an 80-year-old Bloomville woman will receive more than $100,000.
Jacobs said the women's names are protected as part of the settlement. He added that neither is planning big changes in their lives.
"I told them they should take a cruise, but they just wanted to continue on as before," Jacobs said. "But the money does make them feel more secure."
He said the women had originally been told that the settlements would be $288,000 and $89,000, respectively, but when the suit was finalized, a large number of former Vioxx patients had been eliminated because they had taken other drugs including hydrocodone and oxicodone.
Jacobs said he worked with the Lanier Law Firm of Houston on the lawsuit.
The settlement was part of a mass tort litigation that involved patients that used Vioxx for more than 18 months and subsequently suffered a heart attack, stroke or aortic aneurysm.
There were approximately 44,000 patients that fit into the class for the distribution of $4.5 billion. Each settlement depended on various criteria based on the length of time the medication was taken, other medical problems and the injury claimed from taking Vioxx.
Jacobs said Vioxx was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
"The pills worked great for arthritis sufferers," he said. "But unfortunately, over a long period of time they either killed you or caused major medical problems."
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