MSD trial brings no results

A federal court jury in Houston has failed to return a verdict in the case regarding the recall of painkiller Vioxx.

Merck, parent company of the UK’s MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme), is now set to face a retrial.

Kenneth Frazier, senior vice president and general counsel of Merck, said in a statement: “If a retrial is scheduled we will be right back with the same facts.

“The Vioxx litigation will go on for years. We have the resources and the resolve to address these cases, one by one, in a reasonable and responsible manner.”

The jury had been deliberating since December 8th on whether Voixx caused the death of Richard Irvin, a 53-year-old Florida man who died after taking the drug for a month, but could not make a decision.

The company currently faces around 7,000 lawsuits, on both state and federal levels, and its liability is thought to be in the region of $50 billion.

It has already faced a $253 million fine for negligence from a Texas state court, but in New Jersey was absolved of liability.

The company removed Vioxx from the market in 2004 after a long-term study showed it doubled the risk of a heart attack or stroke if taken for 18 months or longer.

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