Bad week for Merck in the federal Vioxx trial

This wasn't exactly a great week for Merck. Apart from announcing layoffs and plant closures, Superior Court Judge Carol Higbee chose two very difficult cases for Merck to win (the trial begins in February next year). To make matters worse for the company, a newly published study in the British Medical Journal says that everything that Merck and Pfizer have said about the benefits of Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra have no basis in science. The study finds no evidence to back up claims that the new generation of anti-inflammatory drugs (COX-2 inhibitors) are less harmful to the stomach lining than many traditional anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra all belong to the Cox-2 family of drugs and both Merck and Pfizer not only charged a much higher price for these drugs but also made tall claims about these features in their advertisements.

Merck finds itself under attack from medical experts

Dr. Colin Bloor, a pathology expert, told the jury that Vioxx contributed to the death of Richard "Dicky" Irvin, as claimed by his wife Evelyn Irvin Plunkett. He was a healthy man at the time he started taking the painkiller with a prescription written by a family members.

Cardiac expert Dr. Benedict Lucchesi, who has testified at other two previous trials, told the jury how Vioxx blocks production of a chemcial prostacyclin that prevents the blood from clotting. Another cardiologist Dr. Thomas Baldwin agreed with Dr. Lucchesi and testified that only Vioxx could be held responsible for Mr. Irvin's death.

Dr. Wayne Ray, who heads the Pharmaco-Epidemiology department at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told jurors that Vioxx was a dangerous drug and caused heart attacks. He held the drug responsible for Irvin's sudden death.

Really bad news for Merck

Dr. Eric Topol who is considered to be an authority on cardiovascular diseases and has been an early critic of Cox-2 drugs will also testify by videotape in this trial. While Merck tried to discredit him in the past and he did not testify at the other two trials, Federal Judge Eldon Fallon wants the jury to hear his expert opinion on the dangers of Vioxx.

Related article: Merck buried under Vioxx recall litigation