Eric Topol blasts Merck's defense

It was definitely not a great weekend for Merck's attorneys after a tough week. The company's worst nightmare hit them on Saturday when one of the top cardiologists in the world blasted every single argument that the company has been using in its defense.

Dr. Eric Topol of the Cleveland Clinic called Merck's behavior "repulsive" and "appalling" in his video testimony shown to the jury in the ongoing trial in the death of Richard "Dicky" Irvin. Dr. Topol was an early critic of Vioxx and was seriously upset that Merck was misleading the whole world about its risks and benefits.

Another important point made during the testimony will also help the plaintiff in this case and in thousands of other cases. Contrary to what the company has been saying, Dr. Topol says that Vioxx can have deadly side effects even if taken for a very short period of time and the heart attack might come immediately after the drug is taken.

He also cricized Merck's argument that the company knew about the dangers of the drug only in September 2004 when it recalled Vioxx. Dr. Topol thinks that the risks were known as early as 1999.

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