Merck lost their court battle today. Plaintiff Carol Ernst was awarded $253.4 million after jury found Merck's Vioxx was cause of her husbands death from heart attack. The company stock plunged about 8%. There are more than 4,000 other cases to follow. The number will probably double after today. Losses would be in the billions. Some estimate over 18 Billion.
A hard hit for this giant drug company with its block-buster Vioxx product. They remain convinced Vioxx did not cause this death and vow to appeal. They still contend the patient died of heart arrhythmia, a problem Vioxx has never been connected with. But the lawyer for plaintiff was more convincing and the jury agreed patient died from heart attack. Something Vioxx has been connected with in the past. In fact, that is one big reason Merck had it withdrawn from the market.
Texas has a little reputation for being plaintiff-friendly in court. So maybe Merck will fare better in the thousands of cases that involve other states.
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