Merck Wins Another Vioxx Case

A New Orleans jury handed Merck a victory today in the latest federal Vioxx product liability trial, finding that the drugmaker adequately warned of the heart risks associated with the medicine.

Merck was sued by 51-year-old Anthony Dedrick, who blamed Vioxx for his 2003 heart attack.

Merck is facing more than 27,000 lawsuits from people who claim to have been harmed by the arthritis drug that was withdrawn from the market in September of 2004 after a study showed that it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients taking it for at least 18 months.