When the pharmaceutical giant Merck pulled its blockbuster pain medication Vioxx off the market last fall, it was the largest prescription drug recall in history.

A federal judge in New Orleans has set trial dates for early next year in three of the thousands of lawsuits brought against the manufacturer of the pain medication Vioxx, an attempt to give lawyers for both sides an idea of how juries will react to the complaints about the drug.

A federal judge in New Orleans has set trial dates for early next year in three of the thousands of lawsuits brought against the manufacturer of the pain medication Vioxx

Plaintiffs attorneys Andy Birchfield and Christopher Seeger, co-lead counsel for the Multi District Litigation in regard to Vioxx cases against Merck, said today the New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company is being arrogant in not facing up to its responsibilities to consumers.

Merck & Co.s loss in the first trial over the painkiller Vioxx may put pressure on the company to settle 4,000 similar lawsuits as well as future claims as it prepares for the next court battle in Atlantic City, N.J.

Merck & Co could face decades of litigation and billions of dollars in damages, putting its stock price under pressure indefinitely after a Texas jury found the company liable in the death of a man taking its painkiller drug Vioxx.

Merck & Co.'s loss in the first trial over the painkiller Vioxx may put pressure on the company to settle 4,000 similar lawsuits as well as future claims as it prepares for the next court battle in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Drug-maker-Merck-8-Cols blistering defeat in the nation's first Vioxx trial was only round one in a series of expected court battles in the coming months, many of them involving plaintiffs who have some major advantages.

After less than 11 hours of deliberation, a Texas jury yesterday found Merck & Co. responsible for the death of a 59-year old triathlete who was taking the company's once-popular painkiller, Vioxx.

Drug-maker Merck & Co.'s blistering defeat in the nation's first Vioxx trial was only round one in a series of expected court battles in the coming months.