Healthy Skepticism Library item: 5934

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

Dubose Tomassi K.
Another Vioxx Loss For Merck
http://www.forbes.com/technology/sciences/2006/08/17/merck-0817markets05.html 2006 Aug 17

Full text:

A federal jury in New Orleans ruled early Thursday that Merck must pay $50 million to a plaintiff who suffered a heart attack after taking Vioxx.

Shares of the drug maker were down about 1.9% in mid-morning trading.

Earlier this month, the momentum on Vioxx trials looked to be with Merck (nyse: MRK – news – people ). On Aug. 3, Merck won its second Vioxx suit in a month late Wednesday, when a California jury ruled against a man who claimed he suffered a heart attack after taking the drug.

The lawsuit tally is still favoring Merck, which has now won five cases involving Vioxx claims and lost four.

Merck voluntarily withdrew the arthritis treatment from the market in 2004 after studies indicated an increased incidence of heart attacks among users.