/ 6 April 2006

Merck ordered to pay $4,5m in Vioxx suit

A jury has ordered pharma giant Merck to pay $4,5-million to a man claiming that the pain medication Vioxx had caused his heart attack, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

A New Jersey jury on Wednesday delivered a split decision in the cases of two men who said they had suffered heart attacks after taking Merck’s Vioxx, WSJ.com said.

The jurors in the Atlantic County court in Atlantic City said Merck must pay $4,5-million in damages to John McDarby (77) who claimed Vioxx caused his heart attack, it said.

However, they found Merck not liable in a claim by a second man that his heart attack was linked to taking Vioxx.

A second phase of the trial is to begin on Thursday. Merck said in a statement on Wednesday it will present evidence that it believes ”shows that the company submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration all relevant and material information concerning Vioxx”.

Last month a US federal jury decided that Merck was not liable for the 2001 death of a Florida man who had taken Vioxx.

Merck is facing more than 9 000 lawsuits in the United States due to the popular painkiller, which the company pulled off the market in September 2004 after an internal study showed the drug doubled the risks of heart attack in patients who took it for 18 months or longer.

Shares of Merck fell about three percent in after-hours trading on Wednesday on news of the Vioxx jury decision.

Merck shares lost 2,8% to finish at $34,98. – Sapa-AFP