US drug company Merck has vowed to fight legal action from British law firms representing people who took its painkiller Vioxx.
Firms in London and Liverpool were understood to be representing at least 150 potential claimants in response to a court ruling in Texas which found the firm negligent for the death of a 59-year-old man.
Robert Ernst's widow, Carol was awarded $253 million (£141 million) in damages by jurors in Texas.
The decision may prompt up to 4,200 similar lawsuits worldwide after the court heard claims that Merck had played down safety fears about the drug for a decade.
Vioxx, an arthritis drug which was prescribed to 400,000 patients in the UK, was taken off the market at the end of last September after a three-year trial linked it to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes in people who had taken it for more than 18 months.
Gerard Dervan, of MSB Solicitors in Liverpool, who is acting on behalf of 60 claimants, said the firm warned only of a slightly increased risk of a cardiovascular event when in fact patients were five times more likely to suffer some kind of cardiovascular side-effect.
One of those considering taking legal action after taking the drug is Christine Peckham, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire.
Mrs Peckham, who took the drug for four years before it was withdrawn, claims Vioxx has ruined her life. She said she has lost her sight, was left partially paralysed and has developed epilepsy as a result of taking the drug.
"In total I'd been taking it for four years before they withdrew it from the market, but when I had my first stroke I'd been taking it for 22 months. Merck should be made to pay for what they've done for the people who've been taking the product, because they put their profits first, before lives," she told BBC Radio Four.
The company, which made 2.5bn dollars (£1.4bn) from sales of the drug last year, is understood to have set aside around £4 million to fight its legal battles. A second case against Merck is due to take place in New Jersey next month.
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