Policy & Practice

Latest Vioxx Ruling

Merck has collected another win in its defense of Vioxx. A jury last month rejected the charge that the company was liable for a New Jersey woman's heart attack after nearly 3 years of taking Vioxx. Elaine Doherty of Lawrenceville said she took Vioxx daily from June 2001 until her heart attack in January 2004 at age 65, and then continued on the drug until it was withdrawn from the market in September 2004. But Merck attorneys countered that she had multiple risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. “The company acted responsibly, the science was on our side, and the jury agreed,” said Jim Fitzpatrick of Hughes Hubbard and Reed, a member of the Merck defense team in the case, in a statement.