In its fourth loss in nine trials Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) is ordered to pay $51 million to a former FBI agent because its Vioxx painkiller caused his heart attack. The painkiller was pulled from the market in 2004 after a study showed an increase in heart attacks and strokes in some patients.
This verdict will make it hard for Merck to battle the 16,000 lawsuits it still faces, although that is exactly what they plan on doing. Even more suits may be filed before the September deadline for litigation.
Jurors stated that they added $1 million more to the $50 million in actual damages for punitive damages becasue the company "knowingly misrepresented or failed to disclose a material fact" and being negligent in warning physicians.
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