Judge Orders 2nd Retrial in Vioxx Case, Cites Expert's Misrepresentation

NEW ORLEANS - The judge overseeing the federal Vioxx MDL has vacated a jury verdict in favor of Merck & Co. Inc. and ordered a third trial in the case of a widow who claims that Vioxx caused her husband's fatal heart attack, ruling that a cardiologist who testified for Merck misrepresented his credentials. In Re: Vioxx Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1657; Plunkett v. Merck & Co. Inc., No. 05-4046 (E.D. La.).

On May 29, Judge Eldon E. Fallon of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana granted Evelyn Irvin Plunkett's motion for new trial "due …