Renewed criticism of Merck & Co's handling of its withdrawn pain drug Vioxx may further tarnish the drugmaker's image but is not about to scuttle its multibillion-dollar deal to settle thousands of personal injury lawsuits brought by former Vioxx users.

A Little Rock, Ark., federal jury found Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Upjohn (a Pfizer unit) liable for $27 million in punitive damages to Donna Scroggin, who sued the drug manufacturers in 2004 after developing breast cancer after taking hormone-replacement therapy. The award includes $19.3 million from Wyeth and $7.7 from Upjohn.

More than 44,000 people have signed up for shares of a $4.85 billion settlement over the withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, a sign that the deal is on track to go forward, Merck & Co. announced Monday. Of roughly 47,000 people who registered for the settlement earlier this year, more than 44,000 have submitted all or some of the paperwork necessary for enrollment in the deal, Merck said in a news release.

According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide among women.

As was reported previously, on November 9, 2007, Merck agreed to pay $4.85 billion dollars to settle the claims of persons who suffered a heart attack or stroke while taking the pain reliever, Vioxx.

A federal judge overseeing a $4.85 billion settlement with Merck & Co. involving its withdrawn Vioxx painkiller expressed confidence Friday that lawyers have resolved ethical concerns about the agreement.

The pending Merck Vioxx settlement appears to be on track, as more than 95 percent of possible Vioxx claimants have signed on to Merck's $4.85 million settlement offer.

As deadlines near on the settlement Merck & Co. has proposed for cases related to its Vioxx painkiller, it looks highly likely enough plaintiffs will sign on to seal the deal.

Several plaintiffs' lawyers have asked the federal judge overseeing the $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement to give them the freedom to keep some of their clients outside the settlement.

On November 9th, Merck & Co. Inc. announced that they would pay $4.85 billion to settle product liability claims related to usage of Vioxx.