Product News and Recalls

Merck Faces 3rd Rejection of Anesthesia Drug

merck anesthesia drug rejected by FDA for third straight timeThe pharmaceutical giant Merck faces yet another FDA rejection of its anesthesia drug Sugammadex, FierceBiotech reports. Sugammadex, obtained when Merck merged with the pharmaceutical company Shering-Plough, has been hailed as one of the top experimental drugs in Merck’s development pipeline. Over the years, however, it has experienced a number of setbacks, beginning with its first rejection by the FDA in 2008 and continuing with a second in 2013. This time, the pending rejection has to do with unresolved issues concerning a hypersensitivity study Merck conducted as part of its third pitch of Sugammadex.

Merck has encountered trouble with its pharmaceutical products in the past, and not just with the FDA. The company’s incretin mimetic drug Januvia has drawn a great deal of attention over its links to pancreatic cancer. In January of this year, Merck was hit with a Januvia lawsuit filed on behalf of a Georgia resident who died from pancreatic cancer. This lawsuit has been centralized along with others concerning the anti-diabetic drugs Byetta, Janumet, and Victoza in the multidistrict litigation ongoing in the Southern District of California.

Merck has also recently run into problems with its NuvaRing contraceptive device. In February of 2014, Merck agreed to pay $100 million to settle all pending NuvaRing lawsuits. A 2011 FDA report announced that Merck’s NuvaRing included a greater risk of blood clotting than other birth control devices on the market. Thousands of NuvaRing lawsuits have been filed in the past few years.

Merck has struggled with producing safe and effective products in recent years. Its heart drug Tredaptive was pulled from markets after a study concluded the medication did not work, and caused more harmful side effects than placebos. Additionally, Merck’s popular painkiller Vioxx became the target of numerous lawsuits after it was strongly linked with several severe adverse cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke. Lopez McHugh was able to help hundreds of clients receive compensation for their Vioxx injuries.

Consult your doctor or physician whenever you decide to change medications. If you or someone close to you has suffered injury or been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after taking Januvia, contact the lawyers at Lopez McHugh for a free consultation. You may qualify for compensation through your own Januvia lawsuit.