From Austin’s KVUE.com: A pharmacologist Tuesday testified he believes Vioxx “contributed significantly” to the 2001 death of a Texan. The testimony came in the Angleton civil trial over the death of Robert Ernst. His widow is suing Merck, which made the painkiller. Dr. Benedict Lucchesi has studied arrhythmias — or irregular heartbeats — for 50 years. Lucchhesi says Vioxx inhibits the body’s natural ability to thin the blood, which can lead to formation of blood clots. Lucchesi says he believes a Vioxx-induced clot likely led to Ernst’s death. He told Merck lawyer David Kiernan that Ernst didn’t have a “myocardial infarction,” or heart attack. Plaintiffs attorney Mark Lanier asked if Ernst would be alive now if he hadn’t taken Vioxx. Lucchesi said considering Ernst’s medical history and his lack of symptoms, “I don’t see why he would not be here today.”
