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Merck Vows to Fight LawsuitsPOSTED August 22, 2005 WHITEHOUSE STATION, NJ -- Pharmaceutical giant Merck lost its first lawsuit over Vioxx last Friday as a Texas jury awarded $253 million to the widow of Robert Ernst, who lost her husband after having a heart attack while using the arthritis drug. The case is just one of thousands pending against Merck with more to come due to the ruling and the company vows to fight the lawsuits. "We believe that the plaintiff did not meet the standard set by Texas law to prove VIOXX caused Mr. Ernst's death," said Jonathan Skidmore of Fulbright & Jaworski, a member of Merck's defense team. "There is no reliable scientific evidence that shows VIOXX causes cardiac arrhythmias, which an autopsy showed was the cause of Mr. Ernst's death, along with coronary atherosclerosis." "We believe that we have strong points to raise on appeal and are hopeful that the appeals process will correct the verdict," said Kenneth C. Frazier, senior vice president and general counsel of Merck. "Our appeal is about fundamental rights to a fair trial." "There are other VIOXX cases coming to trial and we will vigorously defend them one by one over the coming years," Frazier added. Established in 1891, Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines in more than 20 therapeutic categories. |
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