Whether the once-popular painkiller Vioxx can be lethal if taken for just a few weeks will be the crux of the first federal trial concerning the drug's safety.

The Alabama lawyer due to argue the nation's next Vioxx-related case before a federal judge lashed out at drugmaker Merck & Co. for trying to have the case thrown out.

With Merck & Co. now 1-and-1 in state lawsuits over its Vioxx painkiller, the nation's No. 5 drug maker may face higher stakes.

Merck's victory in the nation's second Vioxx trial may lighten the company's litigation load as plaintiff lawyers shun weaker cases, but the legal saga over the withdrawn painkiller is far from over.

Merck can't savor victory in the second trial over its Vioxx painkiller for long, say analysts and lawyers tracking the 6,400 other lawsuits the company faces for injuries or deaths linked to the drug.

A New Jersey jury decided against a man who claimed the drug Vioxx caused him to have a heart attack. It's the second lawsuit to go to a jury since Merck pulled Vioxx from store shelves.

A New Jersey jury granted a reprieve to beleaguered drug maker Merck on Thursday, finding it blameless in the nation's second trial over the once-popular painkiller Vioxx.

Rallying from its first Vioxx trial loss, pharmaceutical giant Merck won the second court showdown over its controversial painkiller.

Attorney Christopher Seeger is putting the heat on Merck & Co. as he argues in an Atlantic City, N.J., courtroom that Merck’s Vioxx painkiller harmed his client. But he and 11 other attorneys are taking heat themselves from colleagues for their behind-the-scenes role in a different Vioxx venue.

Eufaula Pulpwood has settled with Lexington Insurance Company for an undisclosed amount an a bad faith claim.