An article written by Stephen Schwarz, managing partner at Faraci & Lange, that is critical of drug-manufacturer Merck, maker of Vioxx, was selected for inclusion in the winter 2004 issue of Voir Dire, the publication of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).
The article, titled The Vioxx Saga: A Case Study Against Product Liability Reform Legislation recounts the clinical testing history and recent legal claims against the painkiller and its manufacturer, Merck & Co., Inc., a global pharmaceutical company.
In the article, Schwarz, a regular contributor to Voir Dire, quotes research physicians who warned of dangers associated with the drug, including a Cleveland Clinic study that showed a clear-cut excess number of myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) associated with Vioxx, and that the British medical journal The Lancet reported an actual risk of heart attack or stroke in one in every 70 patients treated with Vioxx for one year in routine populations.
Schwarz's article also reveals efforts made by Merck representatives to squelch the results of certain Vioxx studies.
Fortunately for the public good, Merck will be forced to pay a price for its conduct in the form of thousands of jury awards and settlements to injured victims, Schwarz wrote.
Voir Dire magazine, a publication of ABOTA, features articles on current and historical issues relating to preserving civil trial by jury.
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