Louisiana Federal Judge Finds for Merck on State's Vioxx Claims

NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has found in favor of Merck & Co. on a lawsuit brought by the state of Louisiana over Medicaid reimbursements for the prescription painkiller Vioxx, ruling that the state failed to prove that it would have ceased the reimbursements if it had known of the drug's side effects. In re Vioxx Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1657 (E.D. La.).

On June 29, Judge Eldon E. Fallon of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana ruled that the state had full access to literature and clinical studies that indicated cardiovascular concerns over …