Merck Wins First Illinois Vioxx Trial
"The high-profile trial over Vioxx late last month in Madison County was just an early skirmish in what could be years of litigation here and elsewhere over Merck & Co.'s once highly touted painkiller.
The jury, after a month-long trial, rejected pleas to slap Merck with tens of millions of dollars in damages for the 2003 death of a Granite City woman who spent 20 months on Vioxx.
Though the drugmaker's lawyers celebrated their win in a county with a reputation for being unfriendly to corporate defendants, they'll be back soon for the next Vioxx trial in Madison County, scheduled for September.
Two Vioxx trials are also set for December in the county, according to Merck's trial calendar, but those would probably be pushed off. A fourth was slated to face a jury in October but was transferred to Chicago."
Read the full article in the St. Louis Dispatch.