Update on California Vioxx lawsuits

The Vioxx litigation process is currently in a slow phase with not many cases being tried at this moment and it should be fairly quiet as we head into the holiday season.

Right now two California men - Rudolph Arrigale and Lawrence Appel - are arguing in a Los Angeles court that Vioxx was responsible for their heart attacks.

In a related development, IRS and the Government of Canada are charging that Merck used illegal accountring tricks to avoid paying taxes. It may need to pay as much as $5.5 billion in back taxes and penalties.