Zocor Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over Rhabdomyolysis, Muscle Problems
A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of users of Zocor or simvastatin, alleging that the medication was sold without proper warnings about the risk of rhabdomyolysis and muscle injuries, especially with use of the 80 mg dose.
The Zocor class action lawsuit (PDF) was filed by Irene Richardson on June 1, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The complaint targets Merck & Co., the makers of Zocor, and a number of other companies which manufactured and distributed simvastatin; the generic version of Zocor.
“Plaintiff maintains that the pharmaceutical drug, Zocor, is defective, dangerous to human health, unfit and unsuitable to be marked and sold in commerce, and lacked proper warnings as to the dangers associated with its use,” the lawsuit states.
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Learn MoreOne of the main health risks associated with Zocor is the risk of a muscle injury known as rhabdomyolysis, which can lead to kidney failure or death.
Zocor (simvastatin) is a synthetic statin developed by Merck & Co., which is widely available as generic simvastatin. Before patent protections expired in 2005, it was Merck’s best-selling drug and the second best selling cholesterol lowering drug in the world, bringing in $4.3 billion in 2005.
In June 2011, the FDA placed restrictions on the use of 80 mg Zocor, which could include twice-a-day 40mg doses, due to the risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis, warning doctors that no new patients should be placed on the high dose regimen due to the risk of muscle problems.
Rhabdomyolysis causes muscle fibers to begin to break down, releasing a protein called myoglobin, which can damage the kidneys as they attempt to filter it out of the bloodstream. Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include muscle cramps, tenderness, stiffness, pain or spasms. The illness is usually reported in patients over 65 years of age or those who have renal impairment or uncontrolled hypothyroidism.
The class action suit was filed on the same day as two other Zocor lawsuits were filed in federal court against Merck and generic Zocor manufacturers, including Teva Pharmaceuticals, Lupin Pharmaceitucals, Reddy’s Laboratories and Ranbaxy Laboratories.
One of the lawsuits, filed on behalf of Danielle Woolens (PDF), was also filed in the Eastern District of Louisiana, while another filed on behalf of Kathleen M. Harris (PDF), was filed in the Western District of Louisiana.
All of the complaints involve similar allegations that the drug makers purposefully concealed information indicating that Zocor could increase the risk of muscle injury and failed to warn doctors and plaintiffs of the potential side effects of simvastatin.
The class action lawsuit calls not only for compensatory damages, but also seeks to create a medical monitoring program for Zocor users to help detect muscle injury and kidney problems caused by the drug.
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20 Comments
BruceNovember 9, 2022 at 11:59 am
I have problems bending ,sitting , moving , holding a fork or knife...it has cut the quality of my life in half ....all because a drug that supposed to help you .. Simvastatin is that drug it has made my life miserable..
VeronicaFebruary 19, 2021 at 4:36 am
My mother died from Atorvastatin use.
HarrietApril 15, 2018 at 2:10 am
I have muscle pain in upper front of right leg down to my knee from taking Simvastatin in 2012. I'd like to join a class action lawsuit against Merck
EdwardDecember 13, 2017 at 4:10 pm
I have Rhabdomyolysis and it was caused by Taking Lipator, I found out after a Biopsy that was Done at Emory Midtown, I Been down since Nov 2016, and still In a rehab Facility.
HerbAugust 16, 2017 at 9:48 pm
So what did happen to the class action suits filed years ago? I submitted info/data back then; have not heard a word since.
TraciNovember 23, 2016 at 2:06 am
I take Zocor 20mg and I have experienced Kidney Failure and it didn't start until I begin taking Zocor. I have had DM since 2001 and HTN since 1994 but it was always controlled with medication. I would like to know how do I go about filing a lawsuit because my Kidney Disease was acute I was never told that I had any kidney damage until 2011 about two years after I begin taking Zocor.
ShirleyMarch 9, 2016 at 4:01 am
Took Zocor for sometime and then started having muscle weakness. Went Dr and told him about the problem. He did not bat an eye and just told outright that that was a side effect of Zocor. Took me off that and put me on pravastatin and I still take it. Wondering if I should stop.
davidMay 20, 2015 at 10:42 pm
Yes i was taken 80 mg of the zocor, it had ( still is) effect me so bad i had to quit my job, after the doctor took me off of it i am still having problems, kidneys muscle ache & pain type 2 diabetes, fluid in my left eye,(along with eye pain. So has anyone found an attorney that is in the process of dealing with this drug. Something should be done about this, we put our lives in the hands of ot[Show More]Yes i was taken 80 mg of the zocor, it had ( still is) effect me so bad i had to quit my job, after the doctor took me off of it i am still having problems, kidneys muscle ache & pain type 2 diabetes, fluid in my left eye,(along with eye pain. So has anyone found an attorney that is in the process of dealing with this drug. Something should be done about this, we put our lives in the hands of others and this is the results. we get for the cost. I dont know if any of you know about the recent research that was done by Dr. Stephen Sintra (cardiologist) who states that the cholesterol was good for the body,and that inflammation was the problem, and that the cholesterol is there to help with getting rid of the inflammation, his book title The Great Cholesterol Myth check it out you will be shock!
RUTHMay 20, 2015 at 6:19 am
I hear and have read about issues with simvastatin 80 mg. Well, this may sound weird but, I am taking simvastatin 10 mg (for 3 months now) and have the following issues: sore muscles (upper arms and arches of feet), feel warm all over, gets worse in sunlight, feel itchy (especially my back ...I have to scratch a lot.), small blisters on abdomen, fatigue, sleepy a lot. What ,if anything, can I or s[Show More]I hear and have read about issues with simvastatin 80 mg. Well, this may sound weird but, I am taking simvastatin 10 mg (for 3 months now) and have the following issues: sore muscles (upper arms and arches of feet), feel warm all over, gets worse in sunlight, feel itchy (especially my back ...I have to scratch a lot.), small blisters on abdomen, fatigue, sleepy a lot. What ,if anything, can I or should I do?
TeresaMarch 5, 2015 at 2:32 pm
Can anyone tell me if there are any open class action lawsuits against the makers of statin drugs? Thank you in advance!
AlexJanuary 19, 2015 at 5:25 am
For everyone that has been victimized by the cholesterol/statin fraud: 1. Please watch 'Heart of the Matter" with Dr. Maryanne Demasi, Parts 1 & 2 2. Please watch "Statin Nation" at www.statinnation.net 3. Please read "How Statin Drugs really Lower Cholesterol and Kill you one cell at a Time" by James Yoseph and Dr. Hannah Yoseph. 4. Please read "Poisoned, recovery from Statin Side Effects" by Ja[Show More]For everyone that has been victimized by the cholesterol/statin fraud: 1. Please watch 'Heart of the Matter" with Dr. Maryanne Demasi, Parts 1 & 2 2. Please watch "Statin Nation" at www.statinnation.net 3. Please read "How Statin Drugs really Lower Cholesterol and Kill you one cell at a Time" by James Yoseph and Dr. Hannah Yoseph. 4. Please read "Poisoned, recovery from Statin Side Effects" by James Yoseph and Dr. Hannah Yoseph 5. Please demand to know your Cardiologist's cholesterol level and his/her complete statin history and tell that brain-washed monkey in a white coat to go straight to hell. 6. Please go see a real cardiologist such as Dr. Peter Langsjoen in Tyler Tx. who is one of the world's leading experts on this subject and the worlds leading expert on CoQ10. 7. Please contact Dr. Beatrice Golomb at the University of San Diego California and report your damage to her office. Dr. Golomb is the world's leading expert on Statin Adverse Effects. 8. Please get mad as hell because you or your loved one has been wronged. This is a complete total Fraud and a crime of this magnitude could only happen in a country like America that is second to none at spreading BS propaganda. The monkeys in white coats actually believe that lowering one's cholesterol is good for you. Are you starting to understand why they don't want foreign educated MDs in this country? The foreign educated doctors have not been indoctrinated and brainwashed like the home grown morons that practice medicine in this country. 9. Please contact your states attorney general and ask him/her why he/she is not doing their job. Have they too been paid off.
jamesApril 30, 2014 at 2:14 am
i just spent three days in the icu in serious condition suffering from this . i've been on a 40mg. dose for ten years or so.. so now i'm suffering with kidney and heart pain.. time to take a serious look at these drugs and possibly pull them from market.. also have appts. set up with cardiologist and urologist..wow i spelled both correctly..i said rhabdomyolysis to the er doc and his eyes bugged [Show More]i just spent three days in the icu in serious condition suffering from this . i've been on a 40mg. dose for ten years or so.. so now i'm suffering with kidney and heart pain.. time to take a serious look at these drugs and possibly pull them from market.. also have appts. set up with cardiologist and urologist..wow i spelled both correctly..i said rhabdomyolysis to the er doc and his eyes bugged out.. hit the nail on the head...
Luc illeMay 19, 2013 at 12:04 am
Have had surgery due to bill ducks not funtioning correctly. 615-361-0331 is phone no of Ms. Doris She does not have a computer. If you need to give her a message. I will be glast to deliver one. Thanks.
graceApril 18, 2013 at 6:29 pm
IN 2012 I TOOK SIMVSTATIN 40MG FOR A MONTH RESULTING IN SEVERE MUSCLE PAIN AND REFUSED TO TAKE MORE. I NOW CANNOT TAKE ANY STATIN ALTHOUGH I TOLERATED THEM BEFORE SIMVASTATIN. 15 MONTHS LATER I STILL SUFFER MUSCLE PAIN DAILY. MY GP SAYS IT IS MYOPATHY.
MayumiMarch 11, 2013 at 5:56 pm
My father had congestive heart failure, they found 2 blocked arteries. They put a stent in one and prescribed him simvastatin. He took it for about 4 weeks(3 weeks hospital stay + 1 week at home). He had to go back to the hospital with in a week of the first visit. He had a kidney failure with high potassium and his CPK level was high. In the beginning it was 150, the next day 250. Then the hospi[Show More]My father had congestive heart failure, they found 2 blocked arteries. They put a stent in one and prescribed him simvastatin. He took it for about 4 weeks(3 weeks hospital stay + 1 week at home). He had to go back to the hospital with in a week of the first visit. He had a kidney failure with high potassium and his CPK level was high. In the beginning it was 150, the next day 250. Then the hospital stopped monitoring the CPK levels even though they saw initially it was high and he was taking statins. With in a week in the hospital stay, he complained about sever muscle weakness. he lost the ability to stand on his own, sit, move his hands etc. all with in a week. They finally check the CPK levels 1 week after the second visit, it was 30,000. Next day, 50,000, the next 100,000, next 300,000. He hit his high at 425,000. The doctors in the hospital couldn't believe it. They kept saying they never seen anything like this. They did muscle biopsy and the conlcusions were "He should not take statins ever again". THe doctors could not believe that a medicine could do so much damage. They write prescriptions for simvastatin like it was chocolate to kids. Gee, Thanks docs, why the heck would you start someone off 80mg dosage in the first place when you know that FDA has warned not to start a new patient with such a dosage? I was super pissed. How can anyone be so negligent and can doctors really be so incompetent. Why do the people who suffer from these drugs know more about their side effects than the doctors themselves?
bonFebruary 5, 2013 at 11:22 pm
husband on 80mg lupin simvastatin over 3 yrs. Told DR. I'm hearing too much bad stuff about this drug. He said "it's okay, don't worry". Told him to put that in writing. He did couple months ago, but now my husband dropped dead Dec. 2012. They found him in his truck@work. He called 911 himself, but the time they got there, he was gone. Any thoughts on this?
JamesNovember 8, 2012 at 7:21 pm
i was on simvastatin in 2009. in dec. 2010 ihad heart attack. i had told doctors this statin was causing my muscles and tendon to hurt, but they insisted that it was not medicine, after heart attack they put me on pravastatin. sill had severe muscle pain. stopped taking statins april 2011. still have muscle and tendon problems. been to emergency room 20 times. stayed in memphis 3 days to get infla[Show More]i was on simvastatin in 2009. in dec. 2010 ihad heart attack. i had told doctors this statin was causing my muscles and tendon to hurt, but they insisted that it was not medicine, after heart attack they put me on pravastatin. sill had severe muscle pain. stopped taking statins april 2011. still have muscle and tendon problems. been to emergency room 20 times. stayed in memphis 3 days to get inflammation to go down in body. still pain every day. knots in tendons and muscles.
MichaelJuly 10, 2012 at 5:52 pm
Started statin therapy in November 2010. Within a month I developed muscle pain, growths on my muscles, sleep deprivation, intermittent mental fog and generalized weakness. It is hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. At the time I was started on 40mg of simvastatin generic and when I complained to my doctor he switched me to atorvastatin generic. All the problems persist even with the [Show More]Started statin therapy in November 2010. Within a month I developed muscle pain, growths on my muscles, sleep deprivation, intermittent mental fog and generalized weakness. It is hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. At the time I was started on 40mg of simvastatin generic and when I complained to my doctor he switched me to atorvastatin generic. All the problems persist even with the med change. I can barely get up off the ground when I am working outside. Just working day to day is becoming nearly impossible. People say I look healthy as an ox till they feel my muscles and feel the growths on them. The doctor's answer/treatment is pain medication. No one in central Arkansas seems to know how to treat the damage.
GlennJune 25, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Zocor 80mg/d >chronic severe lower extremities muscle, joint & neuropathic pain
Connie BreckJune 12, 2012 at 1:59 am
My father was prescribed 100mg of Zocor for over a year after lesser dosage failed to work. He's since been diagnosed with kidney disease.