Merck has won another trial, this one in California. Here’s a short article from UPI:
LOS ANGELES, CA, United States (UPI) — Merck & Co. Inc. notched a win in the ongoing Vioxx litigation by convincing a Los Angeles jury a plaintiff`s heart attack was not the company`s fault.
It is the second time in the past month, and the fifth time overall, that plaintiffs were unsuccessful in their bid to blame their heart attacks on their use of Vioxx, a painkiller no longer for sale, the New Jersey drugmaker said late Wednesday.
Stewart Grossberg of Northridge, Calif., the plaintiff, took Vioxx from 1999 on a ‘sporadic and intermittent basis before his heart attack at (age) 66 on Sept. 18, 2001,’ Merck said. ‘(Grossberg) then continued to use Vioxx intermittently until about one month before Merck voluntarily withdrew the drug from market in September 2004.’
During trial, Merck produced evidence showing Grossberg has high cholesterol levels, atherosclerosis and a family history of cardiac problems.
Meanwhile, the company says it is appealing two losses it suffered in separate Texas trials this year.