Texas Vioxx Verdict
A federal jury on Friday in Texas found Merck not liable in the 2001 death of a Florida man who apparently had been on Vioxx for less than a month. Vioxx cases vary in strength and this case was clearly a factually weak case for the Plaintiffs. Plaintiffs are expected to have a far better chance when trials begin for long-term Vioxx users come to trial. Moreover, this was the second time this case was tried. In Houston, where the case was heard in November and December last year because of Hurricane Katrina, the judge declared a mistrial because the jurors could not agree on a verdict. The data on Vioxx indicates that stroke and heart attack risk are more grave after longer term use. This presents a very different case against Vioxx and makes the data that Merck ignored not only inflammatory but relevant. The next Vioxx case for a long-term user is expected to start in early March in New Jersey.
