The plaintiffs bar was heartened when pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. stopped sales of Vioxx, a popular arthritis drug that relieves aches and pains, but increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

A new FDA study found patients taking a high dose of Vioxx were three times more likely to have a heart attack. As a result, Merck & Co. is pulling the arthritis drug from the market.

The death of a teenager last week from liver failure is raising questions anew about an antidepressant that continues to be available in the U.S. despite having been removed from the market in other countries.