As reported in an article at Newsday.com, a Merck executive testified today at the New Jersey Vioxx trial that Merck battled the FDA to determine whether a cardiac risk warning should be prominently placed or hidden in the fine print of the Vioxx packaging. The executive testified that Merck projected a $500 million drop in sales of Vioxx if the warning had to be prominent. Merck won the battle, and the warning was buried in the “precautions” section of the Vioxx literature.