Jurors Continue Deliberations in Merck Vioxx Trial

By Thomas Ginsberg, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Nov. 3–On their first full day of deliberation, jurors failed to reach a verdict yesterday on an Idaho postal worker’s claim that the pain-reliever Vioxx caused his 2001 heart attack and that Merck & Co. Inc. hid the risks.

The New Jersey Superior Court jury was scheduled to resume discussions today in the lawsuit filed by Frederick “Mike” Humeston, the second case to come to trial out of thousands filed nationwide.

The closely watched trial could influence future cases and ultimately Merck’s legal bill, which Wall Street analysts have projected at between $5 billion and $30 billion.

Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck did much of the marketing, legal work, and eventually incineration of Vioxx at its West Point research complex in Montgomery County.

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