Damaging testimony presented in Vioxx trial
The dynamics of a legal trial is unpredictable as is happening in the first-ever trial of a Vioxx lawsuit brought by widow Carol Ernst against Merck. According to potentially damaging testimony for Merck, a former medical examiner, Maria Araneta, who conducted autopsy on Robert Ernst is saying that he actually did die of a heart attack. Merck is desperately trying to stop her testimony being presented to jurors. If that were to happen, there is not much left to argue in this case. (Related article: Vioxx killed Robert Ernst, according to cardiologist)
In remarkable display of his legal skills, Mark Lanier, the attorney for Ernst, according to CNN, was also able to get a confession from Nancy Santanello, Merck’s top researcher, that Merck did not change Vioxx label despite being aware of a higher cardiovascular risk and that the company also tried to push the FDA to let the heart attack risk be displayed in a less prominent place. (Related article: Merck did not want Vioxx label changes)
Lanier may also be helped by the testimony of Brown University professor David Egilman, who also argued that Vioxx was so unsafe a drug that he never prescribed to his patients.
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