Why Merck & Co., Inc.'s Vioxx Lawyers Got Paid a Key Fee Years Later

Nearly four years after Merck agreed to a $4.85 billion deal to settle thousands of Vioxx lawsuits that were filed in the US, the attorneys who were deemed most responsible for bringing the drugmaker to the negotiating table and reaching agreement are finally getting paid. You may recall that the Vioxx painkiller was withdrawn in September 2004 due to links to heart attacks and strokes. Lawsuits were quickly filed, trials began the following year and a settlement was reached in 2007. In other words, it took just three years to decide how much Vioxx patients should receive, but the lawyers needed nearly seven years to fight over their fees.