A New Jersey state jury dealt Merck & Co. a mixed verdict Friday in the drugmaker’s latest trial over its former painkiller Vioxx.
The Atlantic City jury ruled Merck was negligent and did not properly warn doctors about the cardiovascular risks in the case of one former Vioxx user who survived a heart attack. The ruling sets the stage for a second phase of the trial, starting this week, to consider whether Frederick “Mike” Humeston, 61, of Boise, Idaho, deserves compensatory and punitive damages.
