Merck Takes the Stand
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Merck research: Studies proved Vioxx safe
BY BONNIE PFISTER ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
ATLANTIC CITY (AP) -- Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. did several studies that proved the safety of its now-withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, a top executive told jurors this morning.
Dr. Barry Gertz, executive vice president of clinical pharmacology at Merck Research Laboratories, said the Whitehouse Station-based firm did three studies on dogs and one on rabbits to determine whether Vioxx caused a reduction in prostacyclin, a naturally occurring chemical in the body that helps prevents blood clots.
Frederick "Mike" Humeston, 60, an Idaho postal worker, blames his intermittent use of Vioxx over two months for his September 2001 heart attack. Merck says Humeston's job stress and health risks, not Vioxx, caused his heart attack.
Humeston, 60, of Boise, is one of about 6,500 former Vioxx users suing Merck over the drug, which the company pulled off the market in September 2004 after long-term use was linked to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
An internal Merck study in 1996 suggested Vioxx could cause a reduction in prostacyclin in the urine. Humeston's lawyers have pointed to that study as proof that Merck knew its blockbuster pain reliever could lead to heart attacks.
But testimony from Gertz, who appeared for the company, bolstered Merck's argument that the company did subsequent studies to see if Vioxx reduced prostacyclin and could cause heart attacks, and found that it did not.
Humeston lawyer Chris Seeger suggested in his cross-examination that drugs could have different effects on animals than on humans.
"Veterinarians didn't prescribe Vioxx, did they?" Seeger asked.
"No," Gertz answered.
In the first Vioxx trial in August, a Texas jury found Merck liable in a Vioxx user's death. Damages there will be cut to about one-tenth of the jury's $253 million award due to that state's caps on punitive damages.
Merck shares rose 22 cents to $27.14 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange
Merck research: Studies proved Vioxx safe
BY BONNIE PFISTER ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
ATLANTIC CITY (AP) -- Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. did several studies that proved the safety of its now-withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, a top executive told jurors this morning.
Dr. Barry Gertz, executive vice president of clinical pharmacology at Merck Research Laboratories, said the Whitehouse Station-based firm did three studies on dogs and one on rabbits to determine whether Vioxx caused a reduction in prostacyclin, a naturally occurring chemical in the body that helps prevents blood clots.
Frederick "Mike" Humeston, 60, an Idaho postal worker, blames his intermittent use of Vioxx over two months for his September 2001 heart attack. Merck says Humeston's job stress and health risks, not Vioxx, caused his heart attack.
Humeston, 60, of Boise, is one of about 6,500 former Vioxx users suing Merck over the drug, which the company pulled off the market in September 2004 after long-term use was linked to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
An internal Merck study in 1996 suggested Vioxx could cause a reduction in prostacyclin in the urine. Humeston's lawyers have pointed to that study as proof that Merck knew its blockbuster pain reliever could lead to heart attacks.
But testimony from Gertz, who appeared for the company, bolstered Merck's argument that the company did subsequent studies to see if Vioxx reduced prostacyclin and could cause heart attacks, and found that it did not.
Humeston lawyer Chris Seeger suggested in his cross-examination that drugs could have different effects on animals than on humans.
"Veterinarians didn't prescribe Vioxx, did they?" Seeger asked.
"No," Gertz answered.
In the first Vioxx trial in August, a Texas jury found Merck liable in a Vioxx user's death. Damages there will be cut to about one-tenth of the jury's $253 million award due to that state's caps on punitive damages.
Merck shares rose 22 cents to $27.14 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange
posted by Chris Placitella at 5:36 AM
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