More than 200 Irish people who were prescribed the arthritis drug Vioxx before it was controversially withdrawn are planning a legal action in the US against pharmaceutical company Merck & Co.
The painkiller was withdrawn voluntarily by the company in 2004 after a trial found that prolonged use beyond 18 months could increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The Irish specialist health law firm Malcolmson Law has received hundreds of inquiries from people who believe they have been harmed by the drug.
Raymond Bradley, managing partner of Malcolmson Law, said most queries had come from people who had suffered heart attacks, strokes and other cardiac conditions.
He said he had been contacted by relatives of several deceased people who believed that the deaths were directly related to the drug. More than 200 cases have now been taken on by Malcolmson Law and it is still receiving referrals from other law firms.
Mr Bradley said there was a greater preponderance of arthritic and rheumatoid conditions in the Irish population due to the climate, so he expected this State to have a higher percentage of cases than other countries.
It is not known how many people took the drug here, but it was prescribed more than 117,400 times to medical card holders in 2003. Some of these were repeat prescriptions.
The Irish cases are being taken as part of a class action in the US. It is estimated that thousands of cases are pending against Merck & Co.
In August, a Texas state court jury ordered the company to pay $253 million (€211 million) to the family of a man who died of heart problems after taking Vioxx.
The company is appealing the decision.
In November, a jury in New Jersey ruled that Merck & Co was not responsible for the heart attack of a postal worker who took the drug. Another case is due to be heard in New Orleans in the coming weeks.
One of the Vioxx whistleblowers, Dr Gurkirpal Singh, has been invited by Malcolmson Law to speak in Ireland next month.
Dr Singh, clinical professor of medicine at Stanford University, was a former consultant to Merck & Co and had repeatedly expressed concerns about the drug's safety before its withdrawal.
Mr Bradley said he hoped Dr Singh's visit would trigger the drawing up of recommendations in this State to avoid another drug safety incident.
