Merck Suffers Vioxx Lawsuits Setback
A U.S. district judge's pretrial ruling against drug maker Merck and Co. means a tougher fight for the company in thousands of lawsuits involving its withdrawn painkiller Vioxx.
The Nov. 16 ruling affects the first federal trial of Vioxx, scheduled to begin Tuesday in Houston. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon ruled that plaintiff lawyers in the case may present evidence that brief use of Vioxx may trigger heart attacks and strokes, the Associated Press reported.
The judge rejected Merck's motion to throw out the case due to insufficient evidence. The case involves a 53-year-old Florida man who died of a heart attack after being on Vioxx for about a month.
This ruling blocks Merck's attempt to avoid having to fight thousands of federal lawsuits involving short-term use of Vioxx, legal experts said.
"It leaves Merck stuck with every dad-gum one of those cases," Houston lawyer Mark Lanier told the AP. In August, Lanier won a $253.4 million verdict for the widow of man who was a short-term user of Vioxx.
Merck has vowed to fight thousands of Vioxx liability lawsuits one by one. More lawsuits are being filed against the company. There were at least 7,875 as of last Wednesday, the AP reported.
Merck, meanwhile, announced Monday that it planned to slash 7,000 jobs, 11 percent of its workforce, and close or sell five factories worldwide in an effort to cut production costs and reduce the time it takes to get new products on the market, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Nov. 16 ruling affects the first federal trial of Vioxx, scheduled to begin Tuesday in Houston. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon ruled that plaintiff lawyers in the case may present evidence that brief use of Vioxx may trigger heart attacks and strokes, the Associated Press reported.
The judge rejected Merck's motion to throw out the case due to insufficient evidence. The case involves a 53-year-old Florida man who died of a heart attack after being on Vioxx for about a month.
This ruling blocks Merck's attempt to avoid having to fight thousands of federal lawsuits involving short-term use of Vioxx, legal experts said.
"It leaves Merck stuck with every dad-gum one of those cases," Houston lawyer Mark Lanier told the AP. In August, Lanier won a $253.4 million verdict for the widow of man who was a short-term user of Vioxx.
Merck has vowed to fight thousands of Vioxx liability lawsuits one by one. More lawsuits are being filed against the company. There were at least 7,875 as of last Wednesday, the AP reported.
Merck, meanwhile, announced Monday that it planned to slash 7,000 jobs, 11 percent of its workforce, and close or sell five factories worldwide in an effort to cut production costs and reduce the time it takes to get new products on the market, the Los Angeles Times reported.
posted by Chris Placitella at 6:54 AM
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