Ala. Jury Finds Merck Adequately Warned about Vioxx Risks

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Merck & Co. Inc. gave adequate warnings and did not misrepresent the risks associated with Vioxx, an Alabama state jury has found, rejecting a man's claim that the now-withdrawn painkiller caused his 2001 heart attack after he had used the drug for about a year. Albright v. Merck & Co. Inc., No. CV-05-02316 (Ala. 10th Jud. Cir., Jefferson Cty.).

The eight-woman, four-man jury in the 10th Judicial Circuit for Jefferson County returned the defense verdict Dec. 15 following almost three weeks of testimony before Judge J. Scott Vowell. The jurors deliberated for less than two hours.

In …