July 6, 2006

Associated Press, "Vioxx 'a Hazard,' Doctor Testifies"

          Patients who took the painkiller Vioxx were at risk of heart attacks and strokes -- something shown by studies conducted years before the product went on the market, a doctor testified Wednesday.
          Dr. Lemuel Moye, a physician and professor of biostatistics at the University of Texas, took the witness stand as the first Vioxx liability trial in California entered its second week.
          Moye concluded that the painkiller carried more risk than benefits to patients after he reviewed clinical trials conducted by Vioxx maker Merck & Co. dating to 1996.
          "Vioxx is a hazard for a stroke and for heart attack," Moye testified.
          The lawsuit was filed by 71-year-old Stewart Grossberg, a retired Northridge construction manager, who alleges that Vioxx caused him to have a heart attack in 2001, and that Merck marketed it without warning consumers of its potential problems.

Learn more about Vioxx injuries and Vioxx lawsuits.