Patricia Schwaller did not die from Vioxx pills

The story of Patricia Schwaller is heartbreaking. According to her husband Frank, she took Vioxx for about 20 months for pain in her shoulders, and then died suddenly due to cardiac arrest in August of 2003. When Vioxx was recalled a year later, he suspected that the drug killed his wife since there is overwhelming evidence now that Vioxx increases the risk of cardiovascular complications.

In a scenario that we have seen in the lawsuits brought by Stewart Grossberg, Gary Albright, Anthony Dedrick, Elaine Doherty, Gary Smith, Charles Laron Ron Mason, and a few others, she had a family history of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The message is that if you are overweight or obese, you have a weak case against Merck. The company is exploiting this weakness in the cases of many victims.

It's not over yet. Frederick Mike Humeston, who lost his case the first time, eventually won $48 million compensation in the retrial - the company has made the same arguement in his case. Merck faces as many as 27,000 lawsuits and only a few cases have been decided so far.