Merck & Co. announced Friday that it will pay $4.85 billion to settle as claims by as many as 47,000 groups of plaintiffs over injuries linked to its blockbuster Vioxx painkiller.

More than 45,000 people nationwide filed suit against the company after suffering heart attacks, strokes and sudden cardiac deaths.

It was 6:30 a.m. in New Orleans, and Russ Herman had worked up an appetite. "I met my son for breakfast," Herman said. "We had eggs over light, two biscuits, ham, and several cups of coffee. And we had a lot to talk about."

Merck once vowed to fight the massive Vioxx litigation case-by-case over many years. So why has the drug maker agreed to settle most of the lawsuits.

Merck & Co. Inc. has agreed to pay $4.85 billion to resolve Vioxx-related claims in which a claimant has suffered a heart attack, sudden cardiac death, or stroke.

Negotiating teams met more than 50 times in eight states and spoke hundreds of times over the telephone to hammer out the deal, according to attorneys.

Merck pulled Vioxx from the market Sept. 30, 2004, after its researchers determined the then-blockbuster painkiller doubled risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Wanting to move on from the legacy of its deadly painkiller, the maker of Vioxx, Merck & Co. this morning signed an agreement to pay $4.85 billion to settle the outstanding individual product liability claims against the drug.

Montgomery law firm Beasley, Allen is on the winning side of a $4.85 billion settlement for users of the painkiller Vioxx who claim they were harmed by the drug.

Merck & Co. announced Friday that it will pay $4.85 billion to settle as claims by as many as 47,000 groups of plaintiffs over injuries linked to its blockbuster Vioxx painkiller.