As you know, litigators never say die. And the Merck team has a won another victory long after the 2007 settlement that involved forking over $4.85 billion to resolve most outstanding claims in the US where people claimed harm from the Vioxx painkiller, which was linked to heart attacks and strokes. Late last week, the Texas Supreme Court ruled the drugmaker does not have to pay $32 million to the family of a Leonel Garza, who died of a heart attack in 2001, because they failed to produce adequate evidence showing Vioxx caused his heart attack (here is the ruling). Although Garza had a history of heart trouble, a jury decided on the award in 2006, although the amount was reduced to $8 million due to a state cap.
