Vioxx blamed in two St. Clair County suits

In separate lawsuits against Merck & Co., two Illinois women claim they suffered strokes from having taken the arthritis pain-relieving drug Vioxx.

Represented by Brown & Crouppen attorney John Driscoll of St. Louis, Jeanne Haefner and Trudy Hull claim that Vioxx is defective, dangerous to human health and that it lacked proper warnings.

Haefner was 71 and Hull was 54 when they suffered strokes.

"Defendant's conduct was done with conscious disregard for the safety of users of Vioxx, including Plaintiff," the complaint filed May 22 in St. Clair County Circuit Court states.