Negative news for Merck & Co on Vioxx cases
In the latest round of litigation alleging damages due to Merck & Co's COX-2 inhibitor Vioxx (rofecoxib), which was withdrawn in 2004, the company was found guilty of negligence in one case and the presiding judge in another hearing ordered a re-trail of one that had gone with the US drug major (Marketletters passim).
A federal jury in New Orleans found the company to have been negligent in the case of Gerald Barnett, and awarded damages of $51.0 million. Mr Barnett, who took Vioxx for 55 months, claimed to have suffered from blood pressure spikes and rapid progression of atherosclerosis, culminating in a heart attack in September 2002, as a result of taking the drug.
Also, a New Jersey state judge decided to set aside a November 2005 jury verdict for Merck in the case brought by Frederick Humeston, who claimed that Vioxx had caused his heart attack.
This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.
Login to your accountTry before you buy
Free
7 day trial access
- All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
- Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
- Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.
Become a subscriber
£820
Or £77 per month
- Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
- Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
- Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
- Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
- Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription
The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed
Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK
Today's issue
Company Spotlight
Copyright © The Pharma Letter 2024 | Headless Content Management with Blaze