Merck Wants Vioxx MDL in Maryland Federal District Court

WASHINGTON - Vioxx manufacturer Merck & Co. has filed a motion with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, asking that all pending federal lawsuits related to the drug be transferred and consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. In Re VIOXX® Products Liability Litigation, MDL Docket No. 1657 (JPML).

In the motion, filed Oct. 25, Merck claims that the Maryland federal court is best suited to handle the nearly 100 federal suits alleging injuries caused by the drug that are now pending in 37 federal courts around the country.

Merck says in the motion that it …