Vioxx suit contends death a 'reaction'

RIO GRANDE CITY - Attorneys for the family of 71-year-old man argued Wednesday that his fatal 2001 heart attack was a sudden reaction to Merck & Co.'s painkiller Vioxx and not the result of 23 years of heart disease.
Joe Escobedo, the Leonel Garza family attorney, said in his opening statement that Garza was told after a stress test shortly before he died that he had a less than 2 percent chance of dying of a heart attack within a year.
"Vioxx caused Mr. Garza's death," Escobedo said. "Mr. Garza did have [cardiovascular] risk factors, but they were under control."
The suit was filed against the drug's maker by relatives of Garza, of Rio Grande City. He suffered a fatal heart attack in 2001, and the jury may ultimately decide if that was the result of 23 years of heart disease or the Vioxx he took for arm pain the 17 days before he died.
Garza's attorneys are seeking $1 billion in punitive damages from Merck.