Sun, Aug 21, 2005 - Page 11 News List

Merck loss likely to increase lawsuits

DRUGS A US court's ruling in favor of the widow of a man who died after taking Vioxx could open up the floodgates for more claims against Merck, analysts said

AP , ANGLETON, TEXAS

Next month, Merck faces a trail in Atlantic City, New Jersey, brought by Michael Humeston, a former postal worker, who had a heart attack in 2001. Humeston's lawyer, Chris Seeger, said Humeston still has lingering effects from the heart attack. Vioxx has been directly linked to heart attacks.

In November, the first of 1,800 federal cases will be heard in New Orleans. It revolves around Richard Irvin, a Florida man who was taking Vioxx for a month before his 2001 death from a blood clot in his heart. Scientists have speculated that Vioxx causes cardiovascular problems because it blocks a substance which keeps blood from clotting.

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