Judge declares mistrial in Vioxx case

The latest trial accusing Merck, the struggling pharmaceuticals giant, of negligence in the development and marketing of its now withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, ended abruptly yesterday after the judge dismissed the jury because it had been unable to reach a verdict.
The mistrial offers little more than a reprieve to Merck. It faces roughly 7,000 different lawsuits related to Vioxx, which it took off the market last year amid claims that it caused heart attacks in patients who took it for 18 months or more. The company's share price slipped slightly on the news of the mistrial