TORONTO, Oct 8 (AFP) - The pharmaceutical firm Merck faces a new class-action lawsuit in Canada, filed on behalf of two people who suffered heart attacks after taking the company's pain medication Vioxx, which was taken off the market worldwide because of such risks, plaintiffs' lawyers said Friday.
Similar suits were filed last week in Quebec, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan, according to the Toronto law Firm Rochon Genova.
The pharmaceutical group decided on September 30 to pull its anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx off the shelves after three years of clinical studies showed that there was an increased risk of stroke or heart attack after 18 months of treatment.
In 2003, some 3.4 million prescriptions for Vioxx were written in Canada, according to the law firm.
Last week, a consumer group in Quebec filed suit against Merck, charging that it kept Vioxx on the market despite the risks.