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Family Awarded $32 Million in Texas Vioxx Suit

April 24, 2006

Drug manufacturer Merck & Co. faced yet another setback on Friday when a Texas jury awarded $32 million to the family of a man who died of a heart attack after taking the painkiller Vioxx.

The $2.5 billion-a-year prescription medication was pulled from the market in 2004 after a study revealed that using the drug for more than 18 months significantly increased the risk of heart attack and stroke.

The latest Vioxx trial verdict is the first in which a jury found that short-term Vioxx use caused a heart attack.

Leonel Garza, 71, only took Vioxx for about four weeks before he died in April 2001. The lawsuit alleged that Merck failed to disclose important information about the serious risks of Vioxx for several years because the company needed the profit.

Plaintiff attorneys claimed that Vioxx had caused Garza to develop blood clots, which lead to his heart attack. The lawsuit sought over $1 billion in compensatory and punitive damages, but the family is pleased with the $32 million verdict.

The jury awarded the plaintiffs $7 million in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive damages. However, a cap on Texas punitive damages laws will reduce the punitive award to $750,000.

Merck currently faces almost 10,000 Vioxx-related lawsuits and the company claims they will handle each one individually. So far, Merck has lost three out of five of the lawsuits tried in court.

Merck attorneys said the company would appeal the latest verdict.

For more information on the Vioxx Lawsuitsl, please contact us to confer with a Vioxx Lawyer and learn your legal rights and options.

 

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