Canadians who took the controversial pain medication Vioxx may be eligible for compensation from the manufacturer.
Pharma giant Merck says it will pay up to $37 million to settle a class action lawsuit from Canadians who say they had heart attacks while taking Vioxx.
Lawyer Mike Peerless, of Siskinds LLP in London, Ontario, helped negotiate the settlement on behalf of at least a thousand plaintiffs.
He says the deal marks a satisfactory end to a long and complex story.
Peerless says Merck should be commended for negotiating a deal even though the drug company says it did nothing wrong in promoting Vioxx as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
The company pulled the drug from the market in 2004 after evidence suggested it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Since then it's paid several billion dollars settling lawsuits around the world.
Merck says the payouts are not a statement of liability.
The Canadian settlement includes $10 million in fixed costs and legal fees and still needs court approval.
© The Canadian Press, 2012