Last year saw the beginning of grumblings that drug companies may be keeping certain trial results out of the public, and that the FDA may also not be getting out cautions when needed. Merck had been accused of hiding research that showed that its blockbuster arthritis drug, Vioxx, could cause heart problems. One of the first liability suits filed against Merck just came out with the verdict - an award against Merck for $253 million to the widow of a marathon runner and Wal-Mart worker in Texas who blamed her husband's death on the drug.
There are many more lawsuits to come, but this was a fairly large blow (Merck is sure to appeal both the damages awarded and the liability issues). I don't envy either the plaintiff or defense counsel. Many people who take Vioxx also had or potentially had other health problems, and it can be very difficult to prove the existence or absence of causation. Sounds like the plaintiff's lawyer here did a great job hitting an emotional vein with the jury (news reports don't really present much of the actual evidence, so no way of knowing how well he was also able to connect the dots to the husband's health status).
More later ...
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